Pope: Those seeking to end war in Europe must make concessions

Pope Leo, the Pope of the Vatican, said on Monday that negotiators seeking to end the war in Europe must be prepared to compromise on some of their positions in order to achieve peace, as efforts to halt Russia’s war on Ukraine continue to falter.

Speaking to European leaders in Metz, the birthplace of Robert Schuman, one of the founders of the European Union, the Vatican’s first American pope expressed regret, saying, “War has returned, even to Europe: a new, meaningless massacre that claims countless civilian lives every day.”

In what was his clearest political vision to date regarding Europe, Pope Leo also praised integration and cultural diversity at a time when the far right is gaining strength across the continent.

The Vatican pope began a four-day visit on Friday with a warning that the United Nations and other multilateral bodies are in crisis, and that international dialogue risks becoming a “farce.”

On Monday in Metz, Pope Leo alluded to the war in Ukraine without naming it explicitly. He said, “We must… show courage in negotiations and be prepared to give up some positions for the common good of peace,” citing a similar appeal made by the late Pope Benedict XV in 1917 amid World War I.

On another note, standing alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, the Vatican pope urged European leaders to integrate migrants arriving on the continent and provide them with opportunities as if they were members of the same family.

The pope, who consistently urges leaders to treat migrants more humanely, reiterated his call for “legal and safe” pathways for migration and for international cooperation to combat human trafficking.