Vatican City, September 2026: Pope Leo XIV has renewed his appeal for an immediate end to the violence in Ukraine, expressing deep concern over intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure that have resulted in the deaths of innocent people.
Speaking after the weekly Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo said he had been following the latest developments in Ukraine “with a heavy heart” as Russian missile and drone strikes continued to hit populated areas and civilian infrastructure.
“My heart goes out to the suffering of the people, who have been living in distress and fear for years,” the Pope said, reiterating his call for an end to the violence and destruction.
His remarks came amid a renewed escalation in Russian attacks across Ukraine. Russia has stepped up missile and drone strikes in recent months, with several attacks reportedly hitting residential areas and other civilian infrastructure. Ukraine has faced growing pressure on its air-defence capabilities, including shortages of Western-supplied systems such as Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries.
In recent days, dozens of people, many of them civilians, have reportedly been killed in Russian missile and drone attacks. While Moscow maintains that its strikes are directed at military targets, recent attacks have caused extensive damage to apartment buildings, private residences and public transport infrastructure in major Ukrainian cities.
Pope Leo urged both sides to move away from violence and embrace dialogue as the only sustainable path towards peace.
“I renew once again my appeal to end the violence and halt the destruction, and to open hearts to dialogue and peace,” he said.
The Pope also expressed hope that renewed diplomatic efforts could help revive negotiations aimed at ending the war. He said he hoped that the efforts being undertaken in recent days to restart talks would “bear concrete fruit” and create conditions for diplomacy to succeed.
The comments came as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Russia on Saturday for talks with President Vladimir Putin. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, following years of conflict in the country’s east.
The two US representatives are also expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv as diplomatic efforts continue to explore a possible path towards ending the conflict.
Pope Leo concluded his remarks by appealing for prayers for peace and reconciliation across the world.
He called on the faithful to pray “that harmony may prevail in all the conflicts of the world,” reiterating the Vatican’s longstanding emphasis on dialogue, diplomacy and an end to armed conflict.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
