Pope Leo appeals for Gaza ceasefire, laments deaths of children

28/5/2025 19:06

Pope Leo appealed on Wednesday for a ceasefire in Gaza and called on Israel and Hamas militants to completely respect international humanitarian law.



"In the Gaza Strip, the intense cries are reaching Heaven more and more from mothers and fathers who hold tightly to the bodies of their dead children," the pontiff said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.



"To those responsible, I renew my appeal: stop the fighting," said the pope. "Liberate all the hostages. Completely respect humanitarian law."



Leo, elected on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, also appealed for an end to the war in Ukraine.



The pope decried new attacks against civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine in the days since Russia launched the biggest aerial attack of the three-year war.

"I renew with vigour my appeal to stop the war and to support every initiative of dialogue and peace," said Leo.



The pope's two appeals, made in Italian, came at the end of his audience, when he added some brief comments to his prepared text.