Vatican prepared to serve as mediator in resolution of armed conflicts

This declaration was made by Pope Leo XIV in a speech before representatives of Eastern churches, according to Sky News.

"I will do everything in my power to promote peace. The Holy See exists so that enemies can meet and look each other in the eye," the pontiff stated.

He called on world leaders to come together and engage in dialogue. "From the Holy Land to Ukraine, from Lebanon to Syria, from the Middle East and the Caucasus — how much violence," Leo XIV remarked.

Leo XIV assumed the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican on May 8. On Sunday, May 11, he urged national leaders to halt armed conflicts and emphasized the importance of negotiations for peace in Ukraine.

Additionally, he expressed his distress over the conflict in Gaza. The pope also suggested that the world is experiencing a third world war, albeit conducted in parts rather than openly.