Vatican City: At the conclusion of the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV once again turned the Church’s gaze toward regions wounded by violence, appealing for prayer, solidarity, and concrete steps toward peace. With a voice of compassion and urgency, the Holy Father focused his reflection on the people of Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province and the war-torn nation of Ukraine, uniting both in a call for reconciliation and healing.
The Pope first expressed his closeness to the people of northern Mozambique, who for nearly eight years have endured the brutality of extremist violence. Since 2017, attacks in Cabo Delgado have claimed thousands of lives and forced more than a million people from their homes, creating a humanitarian crisis that weighs heavily on the country. “I express my closeness to the people of Cabo Delgado who have become victims of an unsecure and violent situation that continues to cause death and displacement,” Pope Leo said. He voiced his hope that Mozambique’s leaders would find the courage and wisdom to restore stability, ensuring that the dignity of families torn apart by war is protected.
Turning his attention to Ukraine, the Pope recalled the global day of prayer and fasting observed on August 22 for all those afflicted by war. He tied this initiative to Ukraine’s Independence Day, marked on Sunday, which was commemorated under the shadow of ongoing conflict. “Today we join our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who, with the spiritual initiative ‘World Prayer for Ukraine,’ are asking the Lord to grant peace to their tormented country,” the Holy Father said.
Pope Leo also sent a personal message to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the occasion of the national feast, offering spiritual closeness to a nation still enduring the devastation of war. “With a heart wounded by the violence that ravages your land, I address you on this day of your national feast,” he wrote, remembering the wounded, grieving families, and those forced from their homes. “May God Himself console them, strengthen the injured, and grant eternal rest to the departed.”
His appeal was marked by a strong plea for the silencing of weapons and the conversion of hearts. The Pope implored the international community and all people of goodwill to embrace dialogue as the only path that can secure justice and peace. Concluding his message, he entrusted the Ukrainian people to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, invoking her maternal intercession to guide the nation through its darkest hours.
President Zelenskyy, in a message posted on his official X account, expressed gratitude for the Pope’s words. “I am sincerely grateful to His Holiness for his thoughtful words, prayer, and attention to the people of Ukraine amid devastating war,” he wrote. The Ukrainian leader added that the nation’s hopes and efforts remain centered on achieving “the long-awaited peace for good, truth, and justice to prevail.”
By joining Mozambique’s struggle for stability with Ukraine’s yearning for peace, Pope Leo XIV reminded the world that the wounds of war whether in Africa or Europe demand not only prayer but also courageous decisions by leaders and communities to build peace on the solid ground of justice and reconciliation.