Pope Leo XIV has called for a genuine and just peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff. In a symbolic gesture, Leo appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, a departure from his predecessors who delivered the greeting from the studio window of the Apostolic Palace.

“I, too, address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war’,” Leo said to an estimated 100,000 people below. He quoted Pope Francis in denouncing the number of conflicts ravaging the globe today, saying it was a “third world war in pieces.”

“I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people,” he said. “Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible.” He also called for the release of war prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children to their families.

Leo welcomed the ceasefire between India and Pakistan and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying, “Let humanitarian relief be provided to the exhausted civilian population and all hostages be freed.” The 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 erupted in cheers and music as the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled. Angela Gentile of Bari, who arrived in the square three hours early, said she was happy Leo came to the central balcony, so the crowd could see him face-to-face. “What’s good for the Holy Spirit works for me,” she said. “I have trust.”

More than 50 pilgrims from Houston, Texas, were in the square, waving three large American flags. They were in Rome on a pre-planned Holy Year pilgrimage and said they were proud to be part of this historic occasion. “Words cannot express my admiration and gratitude to God,” said the Rev. Dominic Nguyen, who led the Vietnamese American group.

On Sunday, Leo also celebrated a private Mass near the tomb of St. Peter and prayed at the tombs of several past popes in the grottoes underneath the basilica. He prayed before a mix of more progressive and tradition-minded popes: Pope Paul VI, who closed out the modernizing reforms of the 1960s Second Vatican Council, and Popes Pius XII and Benedict XVI, on the more conservative end of the spectrum.

Leo’s gestures have been closely watched by traditionalists and conservatives, who have been looking for signs of his priorities. Some have expressed cautious optimism, with Aldo Maria Valli, a conservative Italian journalist, urging traditionalists to give Leo a chance. “Don’t shoot Leo,” he wrote.