Leo urged an end to the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. "I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people," he said. "Let us do everything possible to reach a genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible. May all prisoners be freed and children be able to return to their families."

The historic election of Pope Leo XIV as the first U.S.-born pope is already upending an earlier calculus about U.S. conservative opposition to reform.