Pope Leo XIV opened the new year Thursday with an appeal to the world for peace and urging people everywhere to begin 2026 by rejecting violence and committing to reconciliation.

Speaking during his first Angelus address of 2026, the pope invited the faithful to “build a year of peace by disarming our hearts and refraining from every form of violence.”

Around 40,000 gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Rome to hear the pope’s New Year’s Day message on the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, which also coincides with World Day of Peace.

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