Pope calls for “disarming the heart”

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The Pope opened his first general audience on Wednesday with a message of peace. He called on people to “disarm their hearts”. On the situation in the Middle East, the Pontiff said: “The situation in Gaza is becoming ever more worrying and painful. I renew my urgent appeal to allow humanitarian aid to enter in a dignified manner and to put an end to the hostilities, the devastating price of which is being paid by children, the elderly, and the sick.”

“In this month dedicated to Our Lady, I would like to repeat the invitation of the Virgin of Fatima: ‘Pray the Rosary every day for peace’. Together with Mary, we ask people not to close themselves to this gift of God and to disarm their hearts,” said Leo XIV.

The general audience had begun with a 15-minute ride in the Popemobile through St. Peter’s Square. At the Mass for his inauguration on Sunday, he greeted the thousands of people in front of St. Peter’s Basilica from the white vehicle and blessed children who were handed to him over the barrier. The people responded with cheers, applause, and shouts of “Viva il Papa”.

Pope referred to Van Gogh’s painting
During the general audience on the parable of the sower from the Gospel, Pope Leo quoted a painting by Vincent van Gogh. “I think of this beautiful painting by Van Gogh: ‘The Sower at Sunset’. This image of the sower in the scorching sun also speaks to me of the toil of the farmer. And it strikes me that Van Gogh has depicted the already ripe grain behind the sower. That seems to me to be an image of hope: In one way or another, the seed has borne fruit. We don’t know exactly how, but it has,” emphasized Leo XIV. He addressed greetings to the pilgrims in various languages, including English and Spanish.

“God loves without calculation,” the Pope added. He thus continued the catechesis on hope that Pope Francis had begun and which was dedicated to hope. “We are used to calculating things – and sometimes this is necessary – but this does not apply to love! How this ‘wasteful’ sower sows the seed is an image of how God loves us,” said the Pope.

Commitment to peace
Leo XIV commemorated his predecessor, Francis, who died exactly one month ago, on April 21. The Argentinian Pope held his last general audience in the Vatican Audience Hall on February 12. However, he had his speech read out by a member of his staff. Two days later, he was taken to the Gemelli Clinic for more than five weeks due to a serious respiratory illness. On April 21, he died at the age of 88 in his apartment in the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV is ready to host talks between the warring parties, Russia and Ukraine, in the Vatican, according to Italy’s head of government, Giorgia Meloni. Meloni spoke with the Pope on Tuesday, her office explained. She noted that “the Holy Father is willing to host upcoming talks between the parties in the Vatican”. For her part, the Italian Prime Minister thanked the Pope for his “unwavering commitment to peace”, the statement continued. Meloni also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several other top politicians on Tuesday to ensure “close coordination” about peace negotiations.