Pope Leo XIV has used his first Sunday blessing at the Vatican to address conflicts around the world, calling for an end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.What It MattersLeo's inaugural Sunday blessing marks a significant return of public papal engagement after months of health-related absences by his predecessor,

Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to thunderous applause and an electric atmosphere, to deliver his first Sunday blessing and an address calling for peace in Ukraine and Gaza.

The pope entered the church and stopped to pray, first in front of the altar and then in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, where he recited Pope John Paul II’s prayer to the Mother of Good Counsel, according to the Vatican press room.