The change is subtle, cautious, but clear. In his first Sunday prayer since being elected, Pope Leo XIV hinted at a break from his Argentine predecessor's position on Ukraine. Speaking from the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica during the Regina Caeli on Sunday, May 11, the American pope called on "the world's great powers" to stop the wars, whether in Gaza, between India and Pakistan or in Ukraine.
Regarding the latter, he called for a "genuine, just and lasting peace," a phrase that contrasts with the tone used by Francis. In the name of total pacifism, Francis more often wished for immediate peace and asked Ukraine to show "the courage of the white flag." On several occasions, he seemed to equate aggressor and victim, saying that NATO was "barking at the gates of Russia."
"I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people," said Leo XIV. "Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, just and lasting peace." He also called for the release of war prisoners and the return of children to their families.
This language is akin to that used by Kyiv and its European allies, who argue that merely stopping the fighting will solve nothing, while the US administration led by Donald Trump has urged Kyiv to accept a peace agreement on Moscow's terms, essentially a form of capitulation.
The new pope's remarks come as Vladimir Putin revived the idea of negotiations "without preconditions" on Saturday, which could, according to the Russian president, begin as early as next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul. In 2022, while still in Peru, Cardinal Robert Prevost, the future Leo XIV, had strongly condemned, in an interview with the media outlet Semanario Expresion, the "unjust aggression" launched by Moscow, referring to "an imperialist invasion" and "crimes against humanity" perpetrated by Russian forces.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.