Watch: Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Ukraine and Gaza during first Sunday address

Pope Leo XIV used his first Sunday address from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages.

“I am deeply hurt by what is happening in the Gaza Strip,” he said during the Regina Caeli prayer.

“I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people” he added.

“I was happy to hear on the other hand that there is a ceasefire between India and Pakistan” he said later on.

Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States, was elected leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday at age 69.