ROME, Aug 15 — On his 100th day as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV made an urgent appeal for peace, the German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
"We must not resign ourselves to the logic of conflict and armed violence prevailing," the head of the Catholic Church said on Friday after leading the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence near Rome.
The pope added that hope must not be abandoned. "God is greater than the sin of man," Leo said.
The 69-year-old recalled his wartime predecessor Pius XII, who expressed the wish after World War II that the unleashing of combat and war would never again claim so many lives.
"How relevant these words are today! Even today, we unfortunately feel powerless in the face of the spread of violence in the world, which is becoming increasingly callous and insensitive to any sign of humanity," he said.
Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, was elected the first pope from the United States in May. Since taking office, he has repeatedly called for peace in places like Gaza or Ukraine.
The Angelus, which is Latin for angel, is a prayer that relates the story of the annunciation by the Angel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive a son, Jesus Christ. This Friday marks the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, when Catholics commemorate their belief that Mary was taken into Heaven.
