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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Nicole Winfield

Pope opens 2026 with plea for peace in countries bloodied by war, families wounded by violence

Leo XIV
Vatican Pope New Year's Day - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Pope Leo XIV opened 2026 on Thursday with a plea for peace, singling out in particular countries “bloodied by conflict” and families wounded by violence.

Leo celebrated a New Year’s Day Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and then delivered a special noontime prayer from his studio overlooking the piazza, which was full of pilgrims and tourists on the bright, chilly day.

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