Pope Leo XIV used his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff to deliver a thinly veiled message to the Kremlin calling for peace, just hours after Vladimir Putin rejected a Western-backed ceasefire proposal. Speaking from the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica, Leo called for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, along with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid.

He said: “Never again war!”, in an apparent reference to Moscow’s ongoing invasion. Recalling the end of World War 2 80 years ago, he quoted Pope Francis’s warning about the global state of conflict, describing it as a “third world war in pieces”. Leo, the first American pope, also noted that Sunday was Mother’s Day in many countries and wished all mothers, “including those in heaven,” a Happy Mother’s Day.

The crowd, filled with marching bands in town for a special Jubilee weekend, erupted in cheers and music as the bells of St Peter’s Basilica tolled.

It was the first time Leo had returned to the loggia since appearing there on Thursday night following his election, when he also delivered a message of peace.

Earlier Sunday, Leo celebrated a private Mass near the tomb of St Peter with the head of his Augustinian order, the Rev Alejandro Moral Anton.

The grottoes beneath St Peter’s, normally open to the public, also contain the tombs of past popes, including Pope Benedict XVI.

Leo on Saturday prayed before the tomb of Pope Francis, located across town at the St. Mary Major Basilica.

The 69-year-old Chicago-born missionary was elected 267th pope on Thursday, following the April 21 death of Francis.

St Peter’s Square was packed with pilgrims, well-wishers and the curious, many holding up flags from their homelands.

Leo gave many special groups a shoutout.