Pope prays world leaders recognize their responsibility for peace

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepared to meet in Alaska Aug. 15, Pope Leo XIV prayed that world leaders would recognize the impact their actions have on the local population.

"May those who make decisions always keep in mind their responsibility for the consequences their choices have on populations. May they not ignore the needs of the most vulnerable and the universal desire for peace," the pope said Aug. 10.

After leading the recitation of the Angelus prayer with visitors in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo mentioned the Aug. 6 and Aug. 9 commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The commemorations have "awakened in the world a rightful rejection of war as a means of resolving conflicts," the pope said. "Let us continue to pray for an end to wars."

Pope Leo did not mention Trump and Putin by name nor did he pray specifically for an end to Russia's war on Ukraine. 

The pope did congratulate Armenia and Azerbaijan for signing a peace agreement during a ceremony hosted by Trump at the White House Aug. 8. Pope Leo prayed that "the event may contribute to a stable and lasting peace in the South Caucasus" after decades of conflict.

And he appealed to the international community to act swiftly to bring peace and stability to Haiti.

"The situation of the population in Haiti is becoming increasingly desperate," the pope said. "Reports continue of killings, all kinds of violence, human trafficking, forced exiles and kidnappings."

"I make a heartfelt appeal to all responsible parties that the hostages be released immediately, and I call for concrete support from the international community to create the social and institutional conditions that will allow Haitians to live in peace," the pope said.

In his main Angelus address, commenting on the day's Gospel reading, Luke 12:32-48, Pope Leo XIV said that while giving money to charity is a good thing, God expects Christians to do more by giving of themselves to help others.

"It is not simply a matter of sharing the material goods we have, but putting our skills, time, love, presence and compassion at the service of others," the pope told the crowd in St. Peter's Square.

Jesus, he said, invites his followers to "invest" the treasure that is their lives.

"Everything in God's plan that makes each of us a priceless and unrepeatable good, a living and breathing asset, must be cultivated and invested in order to grow," he said. "Otherwise, these gifts dry up and diminish in value, or they end up being taken away by those who, like thieves, snatch them up as something simply to be consumed."

"The works of mercy are the most secure and profitable bank" for investing those treasures and talents, the pope said, "because there, as the Gospel teaches us, with 'two small copper coins' even the poor widow becomes the richest person in the world."

Pope Leo urged people to be attentive so that no matter whether they are at home or work or in their parish they do not "miss any opportunity to act with love."

"This is the type of vigilance that Jesus asks of us: to grow in the habit of being attentive, ready and sensitive to one another, just as he is with us in every moment," the pope said.