Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit, Pope Leo Urges Leaders: 'Reject War, Choose Peace'

Pope Leo made an emotional plea for peace after Sunday’s Angelus, calling on world leaders to choose dialogue over conflict just days before a high-stakes summit on the war in Ukraine.

Pope Leo’s repeated appeals for peace have become the defining hallmark of his three-month pontificate.

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Speaking after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Leo implored world leaders to embrace peace and renounce conflict.

“War must be rejected as a means of resolving conflicts,” he urged, issuing an urgent appeal to the international community and its leaders.

The pope called on those in power to take responsibility and seek solutions through dialogue rather than violence.

The plea comes just days ahead of a high-profile meeting on Friday, August 15, in Alaska, where U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin are set to discuss a possible end to the war in Ukraine.

The Vatican’s appeal for peace adds moral pressure on both leaders as they prepare to negotiate a long-term peaceful resolution to the conflict.

As a cardinal earlier this year, Pope Leo condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “a true imperialist invasion” driven by territorial ambition, warning that “crimes against humanity are taking place in Ukraine”.

He lamented that some officials still refuse to acknowledge “the evil that Russia is committing” in this war.

In the three months since his election, Pope Leo has made peace the hallmark of his pontificate.

He has repeatedly urged ceasefires and dialogue in conflict zones worldwide.

At a General Audience in late May, he “strongly reiterate[d] [his] appeal to stop the war and support every initiative for dialogue and peace,” calling on everyone to pray for an end to bloodshed.

As the Alaska summit looms, the pope’s voice stands apart from the bargaining of politicians. It is the voice of a pastor insisting that compassion, not ambition, guide decisions.

From Rome to Anchorage, Pope Leo’s plea for peace echoes loudly: a reminder that even in high-stakes diplomacy, moral truth has its place.

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