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Pope Leo calls for Yemen violence to end, in address two weeks after surgery
He urged a halt to hostilities in Yemen’s Taiz as shortages deepen and prayed for victims of a church attack in Jordan that killed 9 people.
On Sunday, October 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV led the Angelus prayer from the Apostolic Palace, calling for an end to hostilities in Yemen and praying for victims of a terrorist attack in Jordan.
The pontiff expressed grave concern regarding the humanitarian situation in Taiz, where residents suffer from severe shortages of food, water, and medical care due to ongoing fighting and road closures.
Nine people were killed and 40 wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at Saint George's Greek Orthodox Church in Karak on October 23, according to authorities.
To mark 40 years since the 1986 World Day of Prayer for Peace, Pope Leo invited the faithful to unite spiritually with religious leaders gathering in Assisi on Tuesday, October 27.
The 71-year-old leader delivered his Sunday address unaided, less than two weeks after undergoing lung cancer surgery on October 13, though doctors confirmed he requires no further therapy.
In the second Angelus after the surgical intervention to which he was subjected to a nodule in his lungs, the head of the Catholic Church lamented the lack of essential goods for the population of Yemen, who has been living in a climate of war for years.
The Houthi militia encapsulates a city with more than 50,000 children with acute malnutrition, a triple value of water and fuel shortages. Currently, according to the UN, 600,000 people depend on humanitarian aid.