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Pope Leo XIV Urges End To Exploitation And Hatred In First Address As Pontiff

Published

2 months ago

May 18, 2025

Pope Leo XIV set the tone for his papacy on Sunday with a call to stop exploiting nature and marginalising the poor at a mass attended by world dignitaries including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice President JD Vance.

Ten days after Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost became the first US head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, an estimated 200,000 people gathered to see his inaugural mass in St Peter’s Square.

The 69-year-old made his debut tour in a popemobile, smiling, waving energetically and blessing the cheering crowds at the Vatican.

In front of leaders including Zelensky and Vance, he then gave a homily where he called for the Church to be a transformational force in a world of division and hatred.

“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest,” he said.

Prevost, who was made a cardinal only in 2023 and is unknown to many Catholics, has repeatedly emphasised the importance of peace and social justice in his first few days as pope.

Later on Sunday, he was due to hold his first private audience with Zelensky.

“The martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen,” Leo said during a prayer at the end of the ceremony.

Yona Tukuser, a 39-year-old artist from Odessa in Ukraine who was amongst the crowd in St Peter’s Square, said Leo was “a pope for peace” who would “work very hard to build a bridge for dialogue”.

– First US pope –

Leo has made history as the first pontiff from the United States, and his home country was represented on Sunday by Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic.

Vance — the last world leader to meet with the late Pope Francis the day before he died last month — queued up to shake Leo’s hand along with the other dignitaries.

He did not have a private audience scheduled for Sunday but this could still happen as he is not due to return to Washington until Monday.

Maria Grazia La Barbera, 56, a pilgrim from Palermo in Sicily, said Leo was “the right person at the right time” to lead the Church.

“He will certainly do what he promised: knocking down walls and building bridges,” she said.

Before becoming pope, Leo reposted on his personal X account criticism of US President Donald Trump’s administration over its approach to migration and also pilloried Vance.

On Sunday, the pope — who spent many years as a missionary in Peru — warned against “closing ourselves off in our small groups”.

“We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people,” he said.

Leo’s elevation has sparked huge enthusiasm in the United States, but also some consternation elsewhere that a country with an already outsize political and military role in the world now boasts one its foremost spiritual leaders.

“There is going to be extra weight because he is American, I think there’s going to be a lot of extra eyes, and maybe criticisms,” said Sophia Tripp, a 20-year-old student visiting from Leo’s hometown of Chicago.

But she said she hoped he would “bring people together”, adding: “We are all human, and we should just all be loving to one another.”

Other guests on Sunday included German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

President Dina Boluarte of Peru — where the pope holds citizenship — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro also attended, as did a host of faith leaders and European royals.

Italian authorities deployed thousands of security officers for the event, alongside snipers on rooftops and anti-drone operations.

– ‘Fear and trembling’ –

Leo XIV was elected as the 267th pope on May 8 after a conclave vote of cardinals that lasted less than 24 hours.

Succeeding the charismatic but impulsive Francis, he took over a Church still battling the fallout of the clerical child abuse scandal, and trying to adapt to the modern world.

Leo acknowledged on Sunday some trepidation in his new role.

“I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy,” he said.

Ahead of the mass, Leo visited the tomb of Saint Peter — who in the Christian tradition was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, and the first pope — in the basilica that bears his name.

He then received the pontifical emblems — the pallium, a strip of cloth worn around the neck, and the fisherman’s ring, which is forged anew for each pope and which he will wear on his finger until he dies, when it will be destroyed.

Headline

Russia Strikes Ukraine After Kyiv Offers Fresh Talks

Published

8 hours ago

July 21, 2025

Editor

Russia fired a volley of drones and missiles at Ukraine early on Monday, hitting apartment blocks and a nursery in Kyiv, days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed holding a fresh round of peace talks.

Moscow has not responded to Zelensky’s call for new negotiations this week or an ultimatum by US President Donald Trump to make progress on a peace deal or face massive sanctions.

Two people were killed across the country, Zelensky said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in the capital, Kyiv, while rescuers were still sifting through the rubble.

Zelensky condemned the strikes as an “assault on humanity” and said at least 15 other people had been wounded in the attacks, including a 12-year-old boy.

Efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to the three-year war have stalled in recent weeks.

The two sides last met for direct negotiations more than a month ago in Istanbul.

They did not make any progress towards a ceasefire, instead agreeing to a series of prisoner exchanges.

Six districts of Kyiv came under attack on Monday, sparking fires at a supermarket, multiple residential buildings and a nursery, authorities said.

An AFP reporter saw damage to multiple buildings, as well as debris and shattered glass on streets.

Russia launched 450 drones and missiles in total, according to Ukraine’s air force.

The strikes also caused damage in the western region of Ivano-Frankivsk and the eastern regions of Kharkiv and Sumy, according to Zelensky.

Meanwhile, travel chaos that began during the weekend continued in Russia, as Kyiv targeted Moscow with drones;

The attacks forced Vnukovo airport — a transport hub for the Russian government — to briefly suspend flights.

•⁠ ⁠Top French diplomat in Kyiv –

An entryway to the Lukyanivka metro station in Kyiv was also damaged by the overnight strikes.

French foreign minister Barrot condemned the attacks during a visit to the station.

“The shelters themselves are no longer entirely safe, as the metro station behind me, which is being used as a shelter for the people of Kyiv, has been targeted,” he said.

“This comes even as President Zelensky’s statement on Saturday morning, that showed Ukraine’s willingness to enter into new negotiations with Russia,” he added.

The European Union agreed on Friday an 18th package of sanctions on Moscow that targeted Russian banks and lowered a price cap on oil exports.

Barrot said the sanctions were aimed at increasing the cost of war for Russia to pressure President Vladimir Putin into negotiations.

The Kremlin said this month it was ready to continue talks with Ukraine after Trump gave Russia 50 days to strike a peace deal or face sanctions.

At talks last month, Russia outlined a list of demands, including calls for Ukraine to cede more territory and to reject all forms of Western military support.

Kyiv dismissed them as unacceptable and at the time questioned the point of further negotiations if Moscow was not willing to make concessions.

AFP

Headline

Iran Declares Holiday Amid Scorching Heatwave As Water Crisis Deepens

Published

24 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Editor

Iranian authorities have urged citizens to drastically reduce water consumption as the country battles severe shortages triggered by an intense heatwave, with temperatures surpassing 50 degrees Celsius in some parts.

According to the national meteorological service, this is Iran’s hottest week of the year so far, and conditions are expected to worsen. In Tehran, the capital, temperatures hit 40°C (104°F) on Sunday and are forecast to reach 41°C (106°F) by Monday.

Amid the heatwave in Iran and mounting pressure on water and electricity supplies, Tehran province has declared a public holiday on Wednesday. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani announced the social media platform X, citing the need for resource conservation.

“In light of the continued extreme heat and the necessity of conserving water and electricity, Wednesday … has been declared a holiday in Tehran province,” she wrote.

Water scarcity has long plagued Iran, especially in its arid southern provinces. The crisis has been attributed to a combination of climate change, mismanagement, and overexploitation of underground water resources. Officials warn that the reservoirs feeding Tehran are now at their lowest levels in a century, after years of declining rainfall.

Tehran city council chair, Mehdi Chamran, called on residents to conserve water to avoid further supply disruptions. Several provinces have issued similar advisories, urging citizens to cut down usage significantly.

Tehran’s provincial water management company has appealed for a minimum 20 per cent reduction in consumption to help ease the strain. Local reports from Javan, a conservative newspaper, revealed that authorities have already reduced water supplies in parts of the capital, resulting in outages lasting between 12 and 18 hours in some areas.

Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi, in a statement on Sunday, apologised for the disruptions, explaining that the measure was necessary “to better manage resources.”

The situation adds to the growing list of climate-related challenges facing Iran, raising fresh concerns about long-term sustainability in the face of extreme weather events.

Headline

VIDEO: Passengers Jump Into Sea As Fire Guts Ferry

Published

1 day ago

July 20, 2025

Editor

Dozens of passengers were forced to jump into the sea after a fire broke out onboard a passenger ferry, KM Barcelona VA, off the coast of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Sunday afternoon.

The incident, which occurred around 1.30pm local time, saw chaos erupt as thick black smoke billowed from the lower decks of the vessel, triggering panic among those onboard.

Harrowing videos from the scene captured the moment passengers, many wearing orange life jackets, jumped into the water in desperation while flames tore through the ferry.

Footage showed dark smoke engulfing the skies above the burning vessel, with screams and cries for help echoing from the ship.

Some videos also depicted ferry staff assisting passengers in fastening their life jackets before they jumped overboard, as the overcrowded deck was quickly overwhelmed by the advancing inferno.

According to TheSunUS, the KM Barcelona VA, a ferry servicing the Manado-Tahuda route and nearby islands, was en route from the Talaud Islands to Manado City when the fire broke out near Talise Island, North Minahasa Regency. The vessel had been scheduled to arrive at Manado Port.

Rescue operations remain underway, with emergency teams racing to account for all passengers. Authorities have yet to confirm any casualties, and the cause of the fire is still unknown. A search and rescue post has been established at Likupang Port to coordinate efforts.

“There are KM Barcelona III, KM Venecian, and KM Cantika Lestari 9F,” a Manado KSOP officer confirmed, referring to the vessels dispatched to support the evacuation. Local fishermen and residents also joined the rescue operation, surrounding the burning ferry in small boats to assist in saving those trapped.

Images taken after the flames were subdued showed the once blue and white ferry reduced to a charred wreck, with its internal metal structure exposed and its hull completely destroyed.

Some survivors were seen staring in shock at the remains of the vessel from nearby boats.

The head of the Manado Search and Rescue Office, George Leo Mercy Randang, said: “More information will follow. We hope all passengers can be rescued first.”

Families of those onboard have been urged to stay calm and await official updates as authorities continue to gather details.

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