Pope's strong call for cease-fire 4 years after “war against Ukraine”

“It has now been four years since the beginning of the war against Ukraine,” the Pope said without euphemism, and in the Angelus This morning, he expressed with intensity that “peace cannot be postponed, it is an urgent necessity that must find space in hearts and be translated into responsible decisions. For this reason, I renew with force my appeal: that the weapons be silenced, that the bombings cease, that a cease-fire be reached without delay and that dialogue be strengthened to open the way to peace”.

Then, before the numerous faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square on the First Sunday of Lent, the Pontiff invited “everyone to unite in prayer for the martyred Ukrainian people and for all those who suffer because of this war and all the conflicts in the world, so that the long-awaited gift of peace may shine forth in our days”.

Opening his heart after the recitation of the Marian prayer of the Angelus, the Pope revealed that “my heart follows the dramatic situation that we all have before our eyes: how many victims, how many lives and families shattered, how much destruction, how much unspeakable suffering! In truth, every war is a wound inflicted on the human family: it leaves behind it death, devastation and a trail of pain that marks generations”.

Temptations. Turn off the TV, radio and cell phones.

In the first part of his reflection, before the Angelus, the Successor of Peter recalled the Gospel of the day, which “tells us about Jesus who, guided by the Spirit, goes into the desert and is tempted by the devil (cf. Mt 4:1-11). After fasting for forty days, he feels the weight of his humanity: hunger on the physical level and the devil's temptations on the moral level”. 

Jesus faces “the same difficulty that we all experience on our journey and, by resisting the devil, shows us how to overcome his deceptions and snares.” “The Word of life invites us to consider Lent as a resplendent itinerary in which, with prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we can renew our collaboration with the Lord to make our life an unrepeatable masterpiece. 

Pope Leo said that in our journey, “there is a risk that we may become discouraged or be seduced by less strenuous paths of satisfaction, such as wealth, fame and power (cf. Mt 4:3-8). These temptations, which were also Jesus” temptations, are but poor substitutes for the joy for which we were created and which, in the end, leave us inevitably and eternally dissatisfied, restless and empty".

Penance, Word of God and sacraments

In particular, after pondering the appreciation of St. Paul VI for penance and the suggestions of St. Augustine, he urged to practice it “generously, together with prayer and works of mercy; let us give space to silence, let us turn off a little the televisions, the radio and the smartphones.”. 

“Let us meditate on the Word of God, let us approach the sacraments; let us listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who speaks to our hearts, and let us listen to one another, in families, in workplaces and in communities.”.

Finally, he encouraged us to dedicate time to those who are alone, especially the elderly, the poor and the sick, to renounce the superfluous and to share what we save with those who lack the necessities. 

In the morning, the Pope made a pastoral visit to the parish “Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Castro Pretorio”, the second visit he had planned to make to the diocese of Rome, where he celebrated Holy Mass. 

In the homily, while Satan tempts humanity with the lie of obtaining unlimited power, God offers the gift of true freedom that leads to true love, relationships and fulfillment, the Pope said. 

Pope to priests: not to use AI for homilies or to search for «likes» on networks such as TikTok 

The day before yesterday, Pope Leo XIV urged priests not to use artificial intelligence (IA) to write his homilies, nor to look for “likes” on social networks like TikTok, as reported by Courtney Mares, from OSV News.

In a question-and-answer session with clergy from the Diocese of Rome, the Pope said priests must resist “the temptation to prepare homilies with artificial intelligence.” «Like all the muscles of the body, if we don't use them, if we don't move them, they die. The brain needs to be used, so our intelligence must also be exercised a little so as not to lose this capacity,” Pope Leo said at the closed-door meeting, according to a Feb. 20 Vatican News report.

 “To give a true homily is to share the faith,” and artificial intelligence “will never be able to share the faith,” the Pope added. The Pontiff has expressed interest in the topic of artificial intelligence and the dignity of labor since the first week of his pontificate.