Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke by phone with newly elected Pope Leo XIV on Monday and said they discussed Ukrainian children abducted by Russia and a proposal from allies for a 30-day ceasefire which Moscow has so far not accepted.

Political figures around the world have congratulated Robert Francis Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, after his election on Thursday, May 8, as Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Hailing from Chicago and a dual U.

Zelensky invites Pope Leo XIV to witness devastation in ‘warm’ phone call - Zelensky says he is ready to meet Putin ‘personally’ in Turkey this week for peace talks

Leo, who was born in Chicago, signed a baseball that someone held out to him. A woman in the line asked him for a selfie — a situation few of his predecessors would have faced in their first media outing. He politely declined, shook her hand and moved on.

Leo, who was elected the 267th leader of the Catholic Church last week, called for "the precious gift of free speech" to be protected and an end to a divisive "war of words" filled with prejudice and ideological attacks.

Leo gave a prepared address and then opened the floor to any cardinal who wanted to make a comment, a different format to what previous popes have done.

Some conservatives and traditionalist Catholics are cautiously optimistic over the historic election of Pope Leo XIV