VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV called Sunday for “courage” from those forging a peace plan for Gaza, as world leaders prepared to attend a summit on ending the conflict.
“The agreement to begin the peace process has given a spark of hope in the Holy Land,” the US-born pontiff said at the end of Sunday’s Angelus prayer.
“I encourage the parties involved to courageously continue on the path toward a just and lasting peace that respects the legitimate aspirations of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples,” he said.
US President Donald Trump and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will on Monday chair a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh which aims to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
International leaders will discuss implementing the first phase of a ceasefire, two years after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack triggered a counter-offensive by Israel that killed more than 67,000 Palestinians.
“Two years of conflict have left death and destruction everywhere, especially in the hearts of those who have brutally lost their children, their parents, their friends, everything,” Pope Leo said.
He asked God to help “accomplish what now seems humanly impossible: to rediscover that the other is not an enemy, but a brother to look to, forgive, and offer the hope of reconciliation.”
The pope also spoke of his “sorrow” following the news of “new, violent attacks that have hit several cities and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, causing the deaths of innocent people, including children.”
“My heart goes out to the suffering population, who have lived in anguish and deprivation for years,” he said, calling once again for “an end to the violence.”
Kyiv says diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have slowed in recent months, in part because global attention has shifted to the war in Gaza.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Trump to broker peace in Ukraine like in “the Middle East,” saying if the US president could stop one war, “others can be stopped as well.”
Pope Leo urges ‘courage’ in next steps of Gaza peace deal
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Pope Leo urges ‘courage’ in next steps of Gaza peace deal
- ‘The agreement to begin the peace process has given a spark of hope in the Holy Land’
India rolls out strictest anti-pollution curbs as toxic smog engulfs Delhi
- Private monitors in several parts of northern Delhi recorded AQI spikes between 550 and 700s
- Authorities invoked stage four of the capital region’s emergency pollution-control framework
NEW DELHI: India’s capital choked under a thick blanket of smog on Sunday, with the government imposing anti-pollution curbs after monitoring stations in some areas recorded extremely hazardous air quality.
Home to 30 million people, Delhi has not recorded a single “clean air” day in 2025, with Air Quality Index readings hitting high above the 50 score throughout the year.
On the AQI scale from 0 to 500, good air quality is represented by levels below 50, while levels above 300 are dangerous.
Worsening since late October, official records over the weekend were in the severe to severe-plus range of 400–500, but as 24-hour averages, they did not capture the peaks. Private monitors in several parts of North and North West Delhi recorded AQI spikes above 550 and even into the 700s in real-time.
On Saturday evening, the Ministry of Environment’s Commission for Air Quality Management invoked stage four — the highest level — of the Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi and surrounding areas.
To “prevent further deterioration of air quality in the region,” the commission suspended all non-essential construction, shut stone crushers and mining operations, stopped entry of trucks into the capital region, and ordered schools to shift to hybrid classes or online, where possible.
While authorities blamed the pollution on “adverse meteorological conditions,” residents have been demanding more government action.
“The situation is so bad in Delhi that we don’t have any option but to force kids to do online classes. The government has failed us; it has not done anything to address the issue,” said Nabanita Nayak, who decided for her teenage children to attend school online only, despite concerns over their screen addiction.
“If the kids are too much in front of laptops, that’s also an issue. As a mother, I am worried.”
Delhi’s pollution has been worsening since Diwali in late October, when the average AQI has been above 370, or “very poor.” Since mid-November, it has been over 400, which means “severe” air quality, with certain areas recording 500 and above, which is classified as a “hazardous” level.
“I don’t feel proud living in Delhi. It’s the capital city of the country … We talk about being a developed nation by 2047 — we have deadlines,” said Jagriti Arora, who is keeping her 7-year-old daughter at home to prevent allergy flare-ups caused by air pollution.
“The government has to do something … China had a big problem with pollution, but now they’ve managed to bring it down.”
Delhi’s air quality deteriorates in winter due to local emissions and seasonal weather conditions. Cold temperatures and low wind speeds result in a temperature inversion, which traps pollutants close to the ground instead of letting them disperse. This allows emissions from millions of vehicles, ongoing construction, and nearby industrial activity to accumulate in the air. Urban waste burning and dust from construction sites further add to it.
“This is not a new thing. This has been happening now for over 10 years,” Arora said. “You can see it. You don’t need to actually look at an AQI meter to see how bad the pollution is these days.”
