Leo XIV, who was elected last week, has made it clear that working for peace in Ukraine will be a major priority of his pontificate. He spoke to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone on Sunday, and referred to “the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people” in his first Sunday blessing in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Leo XIV, the first American to head the global Catholic Church, pledged on Wednesday to make "every effort" for peace and offered the Vatican as a mediator in global conflicts, saying war was "never inevitable".

Pope Leo XIV has taken over the Vatican’s official social media handles, with a first Instagram post on Tuesday repeating the first words he said to the world as pope: “Peace be with you all!” The @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV post featured some of the photos that have documented the first days of history’s first American pope.