Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from Vatican City on Thursday, at the end of a year overshadowed by conflict around the world, urging Ukraine and Russia to find the 'courage' to hold direct peace talks and speaking of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Issued on: 25/12/2025
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: FRANCE 24
Pope Leo XIV renewed his calls for peace Thursday when he delivered his first Christmas blessing from St Peter's Basilica at the end of a year overshadowed by conflict, but also marked by hopes for peace in Gaza.
The pontiff urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message as the head of the Catholic Church.
The US pope, who was elected by fellow cardinals in May after the death of his predecessor pope Francis, condemned the "senselessness" of war and the "rubble and open wounds" it leaves behind.
Speaking to a crowd of some 26,000 people in St Peter's Square, the pope called for "solidarity with and acceptance of those in need" in Europe – a possible reference to growing anti-immigration sentiment on the continent.
"Let us pray in a particular way for the tormented people of Ukraine," he said.
"May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," he added.
Russian and Ukrainian officials have spoken separately in recent weeks to US negotiators about proposals to end the war started by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Pope Leo condemns war, calls for peace in Christmas sermon
© FRANCE 24
02:22
02:22
Tens of thousands have been killed, eastern Ukraine decimated and millions forced to flee their homes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week outlined key points of a plan to end the conflict after US talks.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far shown no willingness to compromise, doubling down on his hardline demands.
'Return of life'
In his first Christmas homily as pontiff, Leo addressed the dismal conditions in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are still living in temporary shelters in wintry conditions weeks after a fragile ceasefire took hold.
"How... can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold," the pope said, adding that the territory's inhabitants "have nothing left and have lost everything."
The UN has said that an estimated 1.3 million people currently need shelter assistance in Gaza and has warned of the increasing risk of hypothermia as temperatures dip.
"The war, in all its forms, has been harsh on everyone living on this land," Elias al-Jalda, a Palestinian Christian from Gaza, told AFP after attending a Christmas mass at Gaza's only Roman Catholic Church late on Wednesday.
"We hope this year will mark the beginning of a new phase – one defined by a complete end to the war and the return of life to Gaza," said Jalda, one of dozens attending the mass.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Pope calls for worldwide Christmas Day truce as fighting rages in Ukraine
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday renewed his call for a worldwide truce on Christmas Day, expressing sadness that Russia had apparently rejected the appeal as fighting in Ukraine raged, civilians were killed in Russian air strikes, and diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Europe showed little sign of a breakthrough.
Issued on: 23/12/2025
By: FRANCE 24
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday renewed his call for a worldwide truce on Christmas Day, expressing sadness that Russia had apparently rejected the appeal as fighting in Ukraine raged, civilians were killed in Russian air strikes, and diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Europe showed little sign of a breakthrough.
Issued on: 23/12/2025
By: FRANCE 24
Pope Leo XIV and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands at Villa Barberini. © Simone Risoluti, Reuters
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday called for a global truce on Christmas Day, expressing “great sadness” that “apparently Russia rejected a request” for one.
“I am renewing my request to all people of good will to respect a day of peace – at least on the feast of the birth of our Saviour,” Leo told reporters at his residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has repeatedly rejected calls for a ceasefire, saying it would only give a military advantage to Ukraine.
“Among the things that cause me great sadness is the fact that Russia has apparently rejected a request for a truce,” the pope said.
Referring to conflicts in general, Leo added: “I hope they will listen and there will be 24 hours of peace in the whole world.”
Ukraine on Tuesday pulled troops out of a town in the east of the country after fierce battles with Russian forces, as relentless strikes by Moscow killed three civilians and cut power to thousands in freezing winter temperatures.
There was no sign of an imminent breakthrough after top negotiators from both Russia and Ukraine were in Miami last weekend for separate meetings with US officials seeking a deal to end almost four years of fighting.
Pope Leo met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month.
Asked whether he would accept Zelensky’s invitation to visit Ukraine, Leo later said, “I hope so,” but cautioned that it was not possible to say when such a trip might take place.
He also said that seeking peace in Ukraine without European diplomatic involvement was “unrealistic” and warned that US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan risked a “huge change” in the transatlantic alliance.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday called for a global truce on Christmas Day, expressing “great sadness” that “apparently Russia rejected a request” for one.
“I am renewing my request to all people of good will to respect a day of peace – at least on the feast of the birth of our Saviour,” Leo told reporters at his residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has repeatedly rejected calls for a ceasefire, saying it would only give a military advantage to Ukraine.
“Among the things that cause me great sadness is the fact that Russia has apparently rejected a request for a truce,” the pope said.
Referring to conflicts in general, Leo added: “I hope they will listen and there will be 24 hours of peace in the whole world.”
Ukraine on Tuesday pulled troops out of a town in the east of the country after fierce battles with Russian forces, as relentless strikes by Moscow killed three civilians and cut power to thousands in freezing winter temperatures.
There was no sign of an imminent breakthrough after top negotiators from both Russia and Ukraine were in Miami last weekend for separate meetings with US officials seeking a deal to end almost four years of fighting.
Pope Leo met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month.
Asked whether he would accept Zelensky’s invitation to visit Ukraine, Leo later said, “I hope so,” but cautioned that it was not possible to say when such a trip might take place.
He also said that seeking peace in Ukraine without European diplomatic involvement was “unrealistic” and warned that US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan risked a “huge change” in the transatlantic alliance.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Pope Leo, Donald Trump differ on course of United States
Conservative bishops in the United States
As a whole, US bishops tend to be more conservative than their counterparts in Europe. During his tenure from 2013 through his death in April, US bishops often stood in open opposition to Pope Francis. Many are politically aligned with the Republican Party.
They differ with the party, however, when it comes to migration. "The bishops have shown that very strongly," Benjamin Dahlke, a theologian at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, told DW. "No matter which political orientation the bishops themselves have, there was a very strong consensus from left to right." Dahlke, who spent time as a guest professor in the United States while researching a book, said it was "totally clear" to the bishops that the current US government's conduct against immigrants violated the law.
Migration is the issue on which the church has most strongly criticized Trump. Before the vote at the USCCB, there were noticeable signs that the pope was pressing for such a position statement. Several bishops visited him in the weeks before the USCCB convened. The Vatican's ambassador to the United States, French Archbishop Christophe Pierre, is a cardinal. It is rare for a nuncio to hold such a high position in the Catholic Church. It would likely bolster his authority on the ground.
"Pope Leo began to speak more openly on the topic of migration in September," Massimo Faggioli, a professor of historical and contemporary Eccles in the Department of Religion at Trinity College Dublin, told DW.
Leo has commented less, however, than Francis had on the state of democracy in the United States and elsewhere. "It is a topic he must engage with sometime," said Faggioli, an Italian American who was previously a professor at Villanova University in the United States.
Faggioli, who moved with his family to Ireland in 2025, said there were "MAGA Catholics" who support Trump's "Make America Great Again" agenda and view Pope Leo critically. However, he said, it does not compare to the massive MAGA criticism of Pope Francis.
Christoph Strack is a senior author writing about religious affairs.
DW
12/25/2025
"Who is the world's most powerful American?" That was the question posed by international media when Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV. How has his relationship with his compatriot President Donald Trump developed?
Trump's reaction to Leo: 'What excitement!'
Those donors probably did not have Archbishop Robert Prevost in mind. Prevost was born in Chicago and lived and worked in Peru for many years.
Still, in a post on his Truth Social platform shortly after the pope's election, Trump wrote that he was looking forward to meeting Leo XIV. "What excitement," Trump wrote, "and what a Great Honor for our Country."
They have yet to meet. Trump, who was raised Presbyterian, now calls himself a nondenominational Christian.
Leo has repeatedly and clearly criticized the US government's treatment of immigrants. Some US bishops joined him early on. Others joined in more gradually following the contionued release of brutal images of masked men dragging people out of vehicles or taking them from hospital corridors and other facilities.
Few had anticipated how strongly the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which includes about 270 bishops and auxiliary bishops, would position itself against Trump's immigration policies in mid-November. The USCCB lamented a "climate of fear" and the "vilification of immigrants." The bishops felt compelled to "raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity."
For this statement, the USCCB issued its first "Special Message" in 12 years and began a social media campaign in which many bishops personally spoke out.
"Who is the world's most powerful American?" That was the question posed by international media when Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV. How has his relationship with his compatriot President Donald Trump developed?
Since taking office as the 267th pope, Leo has received baseball jerseys and bats as gifts
Vatican Media/CPP/ZUMA/IMAGO
In mid-December, 70-year-old Pope Leo XIV criticized US President Donald Trump (79) once again, albeit without naming him. "The remarks that are made about Europe, also in interviews recently, I think, are trying to break apart what I think needs to be a very important alliance, today and in the future," the pope said. Everybody understood whom he was talking about.
Since May 8, a US citizen has led the Catholic Church for the first time. That means that Trump, who began his second term as US president on January 20, became the first US president to have another American as head of the Vatican to contend with.
The United States is home to about 340 million people. Worldwide there are about 1.4 billion Catholics. In the 2024 presidential election, about 55% of US Catholics voted for Trump.
Observers had long ruled out the idea that a member of the Catholic clergy from the United States might become pope, given the country's significance as a world power. However, in the weeks that followed the death of Pope Francis on April 21, there were rumors that wealthy reactionary US Catholics had offered massive donations to the continually cash-strapped Vatican, should the next pope be a US citizen.
In mid-December, 70-year-old Pope Leo XIV criticized US President Donald Trump (79) once again, albeit without naming him. "The remarks that are made about Europe, also in interviews recently, I think, are trying to break apart what I think needs to be a very important alliance, today and in the future," the pope said. Everybody understood whom he was talking about.
Since May 8, a US citizen has led the Catholic Church for the first time. That means that Trump, who began his second term as US president on January 20, became the first US president to have another American as head of the Vatican to contend with.
The United States is home to about 340 million people. Worldwide there are about 1.4 billion Catholics. In the 2024 presidential election, about 55% of US Catholics voted for Trump.
Observers had long ruled out the idea that a member of the Catholic clergy from the United States might become pope, given the country's significance as a world power. However, in the weeks that followed the death of Pope Francis on April 21, there were rumors that wealthy reactionary US Catholics had offered massive donations to the continually cash-strapped Vatican, should the next pope be a US citizen.
New York's archbishop, Cardinal Timothy Dolan (left) is close to President Donald TrumpImage: CNP/AdMedia/picture alliance
Trump's reaction to Leo: 'What excitement!'
Those donors probably did not have Archbishop Robert Prevost in mind. Prevost was born in Chicago and lived and worked in Peru for many years.
Still, in a post on his Truth Social platform shortly after the pope's election, Trump wrote that he was looking forward to meeting Leo XIV. "What excitement," Trump wrote, "and what a Great Honor for our Country."
They have yet to meet. Trump, who was raised Presbyterian, now calls himself a nondenominational Christian.
Leo has repeatedly and clearly criticized the US government's treatment of immigrants. Some US bishops joined him early on. Others joined in more gradually following the contionued release of brutal images of masked men dragging people out of vehicles or taking them from hospital corridors and other facilities.
Few had anticipated how strongly the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which includes about 270 bishops and auxiliary bishops, would position itself against Trump's immigration policies in mid-November. The USCCB lamented a "climate of fear" and the "vilification of immigrants." The bishops felt compelled to "raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity."
For this statement, the USCCB issued its first "Special Message" in 12 years and began a social media campaign in which many bishops personally spoke out.
Who is Pope Leo XIV? 03:02
Conservative bishops in the United States
As a whole, US bishops tend to be more conservative than their counterparts in Europe. During his tenure from 2013 through his death in April, US bishops often stood in open opposition to Pope Francis. Many are politically aligned with the Republican Party.
They differ with the party, however, when it comes to migration. "The bishops have shown that very strongly," Benjamin Dahlke, a theologian at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, told DW. "No matter which political orientation the bishops themselves have, there was a very strong consensus from left to right." Dahlke, who spent time as a guest professor in the United States while researching a book, said it was "totally clear" to the bishops that the current US government's conduct against immigrants violated the law.
Migration is the issue on which the church has most strongly criticized Trump. Before the vote at the USCCB, there were noticeable signs that the pope was pressing for such a position statement. Several bishops visited him in the weeks before the USCCB convened. The Vatican's ambassador to the United States, French Archbishop Christophe Pierre, is a cardinal. It is rare for a nuncio to hold such a high position in the Catholic Church. It would likely bolster his authority on the ground.
"Pope Leo began to speak more openly on the topic of migration in September," Massimo Faggioli, a professor of historical and contemporary Eccles in the Department of Religion at Trinity College Dublin, told DW.
Leo has commented less, however, than Francis had on the state of democracy in the United States and elsewhere. "It is a topic he must engage with sometime," said Faggioli, an Italian American who was previously a professor at Villanova University in the United States.
Faggioli, who moved with his family to Ireland in 2025, said there were "MAGA Catholics" who support Trump's "Make America Great Again" agenda and view Pope Leo critically. However, he said, it does not compare to the massive MAGA criticism of Pope Francis.
Vance (center) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) met with Leo in the Vatican
Image: Vatican Media/ABACAPRESS.COM/picture alliance
The differences between MAGA Catholicism and the Vatican are enormous on many issues. However, there are still "many good vibrations between this Pope and Americans," Faggioli said, and that will continue until Leo says something more politically divisive than he has up to now.
Pope and President speak a common language
Faggioli noted that US Vice President JD Vance is Catholic. "Vance is always strategic, not naive," he said. The vice president has so far not openly criticized Pope Leo. Vance has even visited the pope on a joint trip to the Vatican with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Catholic.
In addition to the "latent antagonism" on the issue of immigration between the president and the pope, Dahlke said, there is a "latent cooperation," with the president and the pope "going much in the same direction" on topics such as their understanding of gender and their definition of family.
The fact that both the pope and president are Americans is "a connection that shouldn't be underestimated," Dahlke said. Americans can interact with one another differently than they might with people from other countries: The pope and the president share a native language.
Will Trump and Leo XIV meet in 2026? In early December, upon his return to Rome from Beirut, the pope said his next trip would be to Africa, including a visit to Algeria. Another destination was Latin America, specifically Argentina and Uruguay. He did not mention the United States.
Trump is expected to visit Europe in 2026. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hinted that the US president wanted to visit his ancestral village of Kallstadt in Rhineland-Palatinate. From there, it is not too far to Rome.
This article was originally written in German.
The differences between MAGA Catholicism and the Vatican are enormous on many issues. However, there are still "many good vibrations between this Pope and Americans," Faggioli said, and that will continue until Leo says something more politically divisive than he has up to now.
Pope and President speak a common language
Faggioli noted that US Vice President JD Vance is Catholic. "Vance is always strategic, not naive," he said. The vice president has so far not openly criticized Pope Leo. Vance has even visited the pope on a joint trip to the Vatican with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Catholic.
In addition to the "latent antagonism" on the issue of immigration between the president and the pope, Dahlke said, there is a "latent cooperation," with the president and the pope "going much in the same direction" on topics such as their understanding of gender and their definition of family.
The fact that both the pope and president are Americans is "a connection that shouldn't be underestimated," Dahlke said. Americans can interact with one another differently than they might with people from other countries: The pope and the president share a native language.
Will Trump and Leo XIV meet in 2026? In early December, upon his return to Rome from Beirut, the pope said his next trip would be to Africa, including a visit to Algeria. Another destination was Latin America, specifically Argentina and Uruguay. He did not mention the United States.
Trump is expected to visit Europe in 2026. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hinted that the US president wanted to visit his ancestral village of Kallstadt in Rhineland-Palatinate. From there, it is not too far to Rome.
This article was originally written in German.
Could Pope Leo mediate between Russia and Ukraine? 02:21
Christoph Strack is a senior author writing about religious affairs.
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