Pope Leo XIV's offer to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine—an offer Russia has turned down—was motivated by a conviction that the two sides must start negotiating and stop the killing, the Vatican secretary of state said.

"First and foremost, a truce is needed to end the devastation, the destroyed cities, the civilians losing their lives. Then it is urgent to reach a stable, just and lasting peace, one accepted and agreed upon by both sides," Cardinal Pietro Parolin told Vatican News May 27.

Where Russia and Ukraine finally decide to meet "is not important," the cardinal said. "What truly matters is that these negotiations finally begin, because it is urgent to stop the war."

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Cardinal Parolin said Pope Leo was not offering himself or a Vatican official as a mediator, something neither side requested, but simply offered the Vatican as "a neutral, protected venue."

The new pope was not trying to make the Vatican the focus of attention, the cardinal said, but simply trying to promote peace and fraternity.

The cardinal drew attention to the homilies Pope Leo gave May 9 when celebrating Mass in the Sistine Chapel with the cardinals and May 18 when inaugurating his pontificate: "We must fade into the background because Christ is the protagonist; Christians do not feel superior to others but are called to be a 'little leaven in the dough,' bearing witness to love, unity and peace."

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Vatican News also asked the cardinal about the ongoing crisis in Gaza where the population faces continued shelling and starvation and where Hamas still holds hostages.

"What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable," Cardinal Parolin said. "International humanitarian law must always apply and apply to everyone."

"We call for an end to the bombardments and for the necessary aid to reach the population," he said. "At the same time, we strongly reiterate the demand that Hamas immediately release all the hostages it still holds and return the bodies of those who were killed after the barbaric attack of 7 October 2023 against Israel."

Andrea Tornielli, the editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, also asked Cardinal Parolin about accusations before the conclave regarding "how various heads of dicasteries in the Curia handled abuse allegations they received previously." Then-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost was one of the cardinals accused of mishandling abuse allegations before he came to the Vatican; his diocese in Peru provided evidence that he had followed proper procedures.

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"Regarding comments and rumours about the conduct of certain heads of Roman Curia dicasteries in relation to abuse reports during their time as diocesan bishops," Cardinal Parolin responded, "inquiries carried out by the competent bodies—through examination of objective and documentary evidence—have shown that the cases were handled 'ad normam iuris,' that is, according to the norms in force, and were forwarded by the then-diocesan bishops to the competent dicastery for review and evaluation of the accusations."

"The verifications by the authorities entrusted with the matter have definitively found no irregularities in the conduct of the diocesan bishops," the cardinal said.