Pope Leo XIV calls for end to wars in Ukraine, Gaza

Pope Leo XIV made his first trip outside Rome since being elected as leader of the Catholic Church.

The pope was driven to the Augustinian Sanctuary of the Mother of Good Counsel on Saturday afternoon local time, the Vatican said.

"This afternoon, shortly after 4:00 p.m., Pope Leo XIV reached the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano for a private visit. The shrine, run by the religious of the Order of Saint Augustine, houses an ancient image of the Virgin, dear to the Order and to the memory of Leo XIII," the Vatican said in a statement.

The pope travelled in a black Volkswagen van seated in the front seat next to the driver. There was a motorcade with Vatican security accompanying him.

-ABC News’ Phoebe Natanson

The Vatican is revealing more about Pope Leo XIV's meeting with the cardinals on Saturday morning.

The newly elected pope met with the cardinals for about two hours, Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See press office, told reporters.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the cardinals, gave a short greeting to the new pope at the start of the meeting.

After the greeting, the pope addressed them and invited the cardinals to also speak. The short speeches were similar to what took place at the general congregations, a continuation of what was discussed in those meetings, Bruni said.

Bruni was also asked by reporters where the pope is residing now. He had no further information except that "the pope has returned to where he was residing before being made pope."

Matteo added that by this evening we should have information about Pope Leo XIV's coat of arms.

A cardinal told some Vatican reporters after the meeting that Pope Leo XIV is thinking of having some regular consultation with his cardinals but it is not worked out yet.

-ABC News’ Phoebe Natanson

The Press office of the Holy See released comments that Pope Leo XIV made to his cardinals at their meeting this morning.

"Beginning with Saint Peter and up to myself, his unworthy Successor, the Pope has been a humble servant of God and of his brothers and sisters, and nothing more than this," the pope began his address.

His remarks praised the late Pope Francis for his "example" shown.

"It has been clearly seen in the example of so many of my Predecessors, and most recently by Pope Francis himself, with his example of complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life, his abandonment to God throughout his ministry and his serene trust at the moment of his return to the Father’s house," Pope Leo said. "Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith.”

He also explained his decision to take up his papal name, saying he was inspired by Pope Leo XIII “who in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution."

He explained, "In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour."

The newly elected Pope Leo XIV has been outspoken about the need for action to fight global warming, according to the College of Cardinals Report -- a document that offers profiles on dozens of papal candidates.

Leo has in the past warned against the "harmful" consequences of unchecked technological advancement and aligns closely with Pope Francis' environmental priorities, his profile states.

The new pope has spoken about global warming as recent as November 2024.

During a seminar in Rome dedicated to "addressing the problems of the environmental crisis," Leo said it was time to move "from words to action" on the environmental crisis.

He praised efforts by the Vatican to reduce its carbon footprint by installing solar panels and switching to electric vehicles.

The conference brought cardinals together to discuss the negative impacts climate change imposes on the most vulnerable populations around the world.

He also stressed at the time the need for the Catholic Church's involvement in the climate fight is based on the Social Doctrine of the Church -- a fundamental framework of social teachings. Humans must engage in a "relationship of reciprocity" with the environmental, rather than "tyrannical," Leo said.

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-ABC News’ Julia Jacobo