Pope Leo XIV uses first Sunday sermon to call for Gaza ceasefire

The new pope used his first Sunday sermon since becoming the top Catholic cleric to call for the immediate release of the remaining 59 hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

By World Israel News Staff

Pope Leo XIV called over the weekend for an immediate end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and urged Hamas to release the 59 hostages still held in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, the new pontiff – the first American-born head of the Roman Catholic Church – made his first Sunday address as pope from St. Peter’s Basilica.

During his sermon, Pope Leo XIV lamented the conflicts in eastern Europe and the Gaza Strip, comparing them to “the immense tragedy of the Second World War” and arguing that a third world war was now being fought “piecemeal.”

“In today’s dramatic context of a third world war fought piecemeal,” Pope Leo XIV said, “I, too, appeal to the powerful of the world by repeating these ever-relevant words: Never again war!”

The pope called for a “true, just, and lasting peace” between Ukraine and Russia “as soon as possible,” saying that he carried “the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people.”

He then turned to the war between Israel and the Hamas terror organization, calling for the release of all remaining hostages and an immediate truce in the Gaza Strip.

“I am deeply pained by what is happening,” he said. “Let the fighting cease immediately, let humanitarian aid be provided to the exhausted civilian population, and may all hostages be released.”

Pope Leo XIV lauded news of a ceasefire between Pakistan and India. “I hope that, through the upcoming negotiations, a lasting agreement may soon be reached,” he said.

However, he added, “how many other conflicts are there in the world?”