As Russia intensifies its attacks on cities across Ukraine, Pope Leo XIV has reiterated his appeal for an immediate ceasefire and serious efforts on behalf of dialogue.

“The voice of weapons must fall silent, and the voice of fraternity and justice must prevail,” said the Pope.

Speaking at the Sunday Angelus, August 31, the Pope renewed his closeness to the Ukrainian people, lamenting the continual destruction and death the war has caused.

He urged everyone to avoid succumbing to indifference but instead to draw near in prayer and concrete actions of charity, reiterating his call for a ceasefire.

“It is time for those in power to abandon the logic of weapons and to take up the path of negotiation and peace, with the support of the international community,” he said.

Prayers for victims of Minneapolis school shooting

Switching to English, Pope Leo then prayed for the victims of the shooting at a Catholic school in the US city of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“We include in our prayers the countless children killed and injured every day around the world,” he said. “Let us plead with God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.”

The Pope turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, asking that she help humanity fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”

Death of migrants off coast of Mauritania

Pope Leo XIV also recalled the death of at least 69 people—and the nearly 100 still missing—off the coast of Mauritania when a vessel carrying migrants capsized.

Seventeen people have been rescued so far, and survivors say the boat left The Gambia six days before the boat sank on Tuesday.

“This deadly tragedy is repeated every day around the world,” he said. “Let us pray that the Lord may teach us, as individuals and as a society, to fully put into practice His word: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’.”

In conclusion, the Pope prayed for everyone who has died. "We entrust all our injured, missing, and dead, everywhere, to our Savior’s loving embrace."