At Metz on Monday, Pope Leo urged negotiators seeking to end Russia’s war in Ukraine to give up some positions for peace as efforts continue to fail. He warned against treating rearmament as the answer; neither side has shown willingness to concede land.
Leo did not mention Ukraine directly in the remarks, but invoked a similar 1917 appeal by Pope Benedict XV. He said war had returned to Europe and called it a “senseless slaughter” claiming civilian lives every day.
Leo also urged European leaders to integrate migrants, provide legal and safe routes for immigration, and cooperate against human trafficking. Hours before he spoke, three migrants, including a child, died attempting to cross the Channel from France to Britain.
