Good evening. I'm Laura Barone Lopez. John Yang is away. Pope Leo the 14th delivered his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff, calling for unity in a polarized church and appealing to the world's major powers for peace. He delivered his message to an estimated 100,000 people from the loja of St. Peter's Basilica, the same balcony where he was introduced as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

The pontiff welcomed the uneasy truce between India and Pakistan.

He also called for an end to the violence in Ukraine and Gaza.

I carry in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people.

Let every effort be made to achieve as soon as possible an authentic, just, and lasting peace.

I am deeply saddened by what is happening in the Gaza Strip.

Let the fire cease immediately.

Let humanitarian aid be provided to the exhausted civilian population,

and may all hostages be freed. John Allen has covered the Vatican for 30 years. He's editor of

Crux, an online site that covers the Vatican and the Catholic Church. So, John, what did you take

from the Pope's first Sunday message?

Well, if there was any question about whether Pope Leo the 14th would be a less political figure than Francis or, for that matter, John Paul the second before him, I think we have the answer to that question. And the answer is clearly no.

Pope Leo intends to continue to address the global crises of the moment

and try to be that voice of conscience on the global stage for humanitarian concerns.

You heard him addressing For Square the conflict in Ukraine.

You heard him addressing the war in Gaza.

You heard him welcoming the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. I think what that suggests is that he's going to try to pick up the

megaphone that Pope Francis left behind and continue to use it to try to move the ball on

social, political, cultural issues that are of concern to the Catholic

Church.

As you said, he is following in the footsteps of Pope Francis.

What do you see in his message for the traditionalists and the reformers in the church

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