Pope calls for unity during Holy Thursday mass amid global tensions

Pope Leo XIV led the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, using the occasion to speak against the abuse of power and the drive for domination.

During the ceremony, large vats of oil were blessed for use throughout the year in baptisms, communions, confirmations, and the anointing of the sick across Rome’s parishes.

His broader message of peace came amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, where he has repeatedly appealed for an end to violence and urged global leaders to seek dialogue and de-escalation rather than conflict.

Just weeks earlier, the pope made a rare public intervention on the conflict, urging that the cycle of violence not widen into an unbridgeable chasm, a stance widely seen as critical of current military policies and interpreted by observers as a rebuke of the Trump administration’s approach to the war.

As the first American to serve as pope, he has taken an increasingly vocal role in calling for peace and has drawn attention for his challenges to policies that he and Vatican officials say prioritize force over reconciliation.