Camille Naredo

Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech during the general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on August 27, 2025.

Pope Leo XIV delivers his speech during the general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on August 27, 2025. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Article (news)

Pope Leo

Reuters Wires

<p>Pope Leo, speaking on Sunday in Castel Gandolfo, appealed for dialogue and diplomacy to dissipate what he said were the &quot;winds of war&quot; blowing across the Middle East, Ukraine and other parts of the world.</p><p>Leo has been staying in the small hill town overlooking Lake Albano, about an hour&#x27;s drive from Rome, since last Sunday for a period of rest, reviving a summer tradition abandoned by Pope Francis.</p><p>&quot;Let us not allow these winds to extinguish the flame of hope and peace, even when it seems fragile and wavering,&quot; he said, renewing his appeal for dialogue and diplomacy.</p><p>In the Middle East, a series of attacks between the U.S. and Iran over the ‌past several days led U.S. President Donald Trump to declare the end of a ceasefire meant to halt the fighting that the U.S. and Israel began on February 28.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/7/11/iran-hits-back-at-trump-after-us-president-insists-truce-is-over-1428">READ: Iran hits back at Trump after US president insists truce is &#x27;over&#x27;</a></div><p>Russia has stepped up attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent weeks. So far this month, strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region have killed more than 60 people.</p><p>Kyiv, in turn, has been pressuring Russia&#x27;s military logistics in occupied southern Ukraine, seeking to deprive Russian forces of fuel and munitions by conducting strikes on trucks and vessels deep behind the front lines.</p><div><strong>(Production, Editing and Writing: Claudia Chieppa)</strong></div>

<p>Pope Leo, speaking on Sunday in Castel Gandolfo, appealed for dialogue and diplomacy to dissipate what he said were the "winds of war" blowing across the Middle East, Ukraine and other parts of the world.</p>

Pope Leo, speaking on Sunday in Castel Gandolfo, appealed for dialogue and diplomacy to dissipate what he said were the "winds of war" blowing across the Middle East, Ukraine and other parts of the world.

Pope Leo calls for dialogue to scatter the 'winds of war' in his Sunday prayer

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Pope Leo calls for dialogue to scatter the 'winds of war' in his Sunday prayer

Reuters

Published July 12, 2026 11:29 PM PHT

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Pope Leo

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