Pope Leo XIV in his Wednesday general audience urged the faithful to pray that God grant peace to all.
In his greeting to a group of Polish pilgrims, Leo recalled Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, the Polish priest who offered his life in the Auschwitz concentration camp in place of that of a father.
“I encourage you to take his heroic attitude of sacrifice for others as an example.
“Through his intercession, pray for God to grant peace to all peoples experiencing the tragedy of war,” the pope urged.
The audience took place in the Paul VI Room “in order to protect ourselves from the extreme heat” in Rome at the moment, said Leo.