Pope Leo XIV prays for peace as US-Russia summit over Ukraine war gets under way

Pope Leo XIV celebrates a Mass inside the St Thomas of Villanova Church in Castel Gandolfo, Italy (Angelo Carconi/Pool Via AP)

Pope Leo XIV prayed for a peaceful end to the “increasingly deafening violence” of wars around the world as he celebrated a Catholic feast day on the same day as a high-stakes US-Russia summit over the war in Ukraine.

History’s first American pope did not mention the meeting on Friday in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But he has constantly called for dialogue and an end to the conflict, including in conversations with Mr Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

We must not resign ourselves to the prevalence of the logic of armed conflict

On Friday Leo recalled that the August 15 feast day dedicated to the Virgin Mary was declared a dogma by Pope Pius XII at the height of the Second World War.

“He (Pius) hoped that human lives would never again be destroyed by wars,” Leo said.

“How relevant are these words today? Unfortunately, even today, we feel powerless in the face of the spread of increasingly deafening violence, insensitive to any movement of humanity.”

The pope prayed for hope for a peaceful future.

“We must not resign ourselves to the prevalence of the logic of armed conflict,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates a Mass inside the St Thomas of Villanova Church in Castel Gandolfo, Italy (Angelo Carconi/Pool Via AP)

Leo was not the only religious leader offering prayers for peace.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, prayed for a successful outcome of the US-Russia summit during a visit to the Turkish island of Gokceada, home to an ethnic Greek community and his birthplace.

“Enlighten the leaders who will meet tomorrow in Alaska, that they may bring peace to the world, end these murderous wars, stop the shedding of blood, let reason prevail, and let justice and mutual respect reign throughout the world,” he said on Thursday.

“There is room here for everyone. We need not kill one another to make space.”

The 85-year-old was visiting the island for the August 15 celebration of the Virgin Mary, which is also an important date in the Orthodox Christian calendar.

Leo spoke from the main piazza of Castel Gandolfo, the hill town south of Rome that is home to a papal estate and gardens.

He has spent a chunk of the summer at the estate, extending now for the second time his holiday to take advantage of the quiet and relatively cooler calm of the property overlooking Lake Alban.

Pope Leo XIV greets faithful at the end of the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

It was here that Leo met with Mr Zelenskyy for the second time on July 9.

Leo had spoken by telephone with Mr Putin on June 4 and, according to the Vatican, “urged Russia to make a gesture that would promote peace, emphasising the importance of dialogue for establishing positive contacts between the parties and seeking solutions to the conflict”.

Upon arrival in Castel Gandolfo earlier this week, Leo told reporters that he hoped the Trump-Putin summit would produce at least a ceasefire, saying the war had gone on for too long with too many dead, and no end in sight.

Leo, who marks his 100th day as pope on Saturday, will spend the long weekend here, breaking on Sunday to have lunch with the poor people of the Albano diocese.

He is scheduled to return to the Vatican on Tuesday, closing out a six-week holiday period punctuated by spells back at the Vatican, most significantly to preside over the one million-strong Holy Year celebration for young people earlier this month.