In a rare, direct intervention on an ongoing war, Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday called again for a Christmas Day truce, expressing “great sadness” over Russia’s apparent refusal.
“I am renewing my request to all people of good will to respect a day of peace – at least on the feast of the birth of our Savior,” Leo said at his residence in Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome.
The appeal comes nearly four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a war that has defied repeated ceasefire proposals. Moscow has consistently rejected pauses in fighting, arguing that any halt would give Kyiv a tactical advantage.
“Among the things that cause me great sadness is the fact that Russia has apparently rejected a request for a truce,” the Pope said. “I hope they will listen and there will be 24 hours of peace in the whole world.”
Fighting continues on the ground
The reality on the ground underscores the difficulty of such appeals.
Ukrainian forces withdrew from the eastern town of Siversk on Tuesday after fierce battles, while Russian strikes killed three civilians and left thousands without electricity amid freezing winter conditions.
Diplomatic efforts remain slow-moving. Last weekend, senior negotiators from Russia and Ukraine met separately with US officials in Miami, but prospects for a near-term settlement appear limited.
Pope Leo, the first US-born pontiff, met with President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month.
Asked whether he would accept Zelensky’s invitation to visit Ukraine, he said, “I hope so,” but gave no timeline.
The Pope also warned that seeking peace in Ukraine without robust European diplomatic involvement is “unrealistic,” and criticized President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan, suggesting it could trigger a “huge change” in the transatlantic alliance.
Moral call in a war-torn world
For Leo, the call for a single day of calm is more than symbolic.
“I will make an appeal one more time to people of good will to respect at least Christmas Day as a day of peace,” he said.
“Maybe they will listen to us, and there will be at least 24 hours – a day of peace – across the world,” he added.
With winter shelling intensifying and diplomacy stalling, the Pope’s plea stands as one of the clearest moral interventions yet in a war that has tested global patience – and the limits of traditional calls for peace.