Pope opens 2026 with plea for peace in countries bloodied by war, families wounded by violence

Pope Leo XIV opened 2026 on Thursday with a plea for peace, singling out in particular countries "bloodied by conflict" and families wounded by violence. Leo celebrated a New Year's Day Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and then delivered a special noontime prayer from his studio overlooking the piazza, which was full of pilgrims and tourists on the bright,