Pope Leo XIV calls for concessions to achieve peace in Ukraine amid protracted war

Speaking to European leaders in Metz, Pope Leo XIV said that "war has returned, even to Europe" and described it as "a new senseless slaughter, claiming countless civilian lives every day." Without referring directly to the war in Ukraine, the pontiff called on the parties to show a willingness to compromise. "We need ... to show courage in negotiation and to be willing to give up some positions for the greater good of peace," he urged, invoking a similar 1917 appeal from Pope Benedict XV amid the carnage of the First World War. Leo also reiterated his opposition to rising European military spending, which grew last year by the highest amount since the end of the Cold War amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian assertiveness.