Leo XIV prayed for the victims of the attack on a church in Jordan and called for an end to hostilities in Yemen.

Pope Leo XIV waves as he leads the Angelus from a window of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. He prayed for the victims of the attack on a church in Jordan (REUTERS/Vincenzo Livieri) Pope Leo XIV prayed this Sunday for the victims of the attack carried out on Friday against an Orthodox church in Jordan, expressed concern over the "grave humanitarian situation" in Yemen, and urged the promotion of dialogue and peace in the face of violence. He spoke from the window of the Apostolic Palace, after the Angelus prayer, before pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. "I assure my prayers for all those who were killed and injured on Friday in the terrorist attack against the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Saint George in Hamud, Jordan," said the pontiff. "I express my closeness to that community, which stands out for its peaceful coexistence and respect among the different religions. Let us continue praying together for peace." The attack occurred on Friday afternoon, when several armed men burst into the courtyard of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George, in the Karak governorate, during a funeral attended by Christians and Muslims, and fired "indiscriminately," according to witnesses. Nine people died, after two critically wounded victims passed away on Saturday in the hospital, and some 40 were injured. The Jordanian government says the suspects are linked to the Islamic State group, although no one claimed the attack, and it declared three days of national mourning. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said this Sunday that all state agencies are working to capture those responsible. Relatives and loved ones carry the coffins of the victims of the shooting at a church in Karak, Jordan. Eight of the nine dead were buried in front of the temple (REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni) Thousands of people bid farewell to the dead this Sunday. Eight of the nine were buried in a grave in front of the church, in a procession presided over by the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III. Christians make up about 3% of Jordan's 11.5 million inhabitants, a majority-Muslim country. Taiz, the Yemeni city besieged by Houthi rebels (AP/Abdulnasser Alseddik, File) "I am following with concern the grave humanitarian situation in Yemen, particularly in the city of Taiz, where the population is suffering from the lack of food, water, and medical care," said the pope. "I make an earnest appeal for hostilities to cease and for the Yemeni people and all the peoples of the region to be guaranteed a life in peace." The Houthi rebels have maintained a siege on Taiz for about two weeks and have been attacking it daily in an effort to take control. The UN World Food Programme reported on Friday that more than 800,000 people in the city have been cut off from aid. The International Organization for Migration counted more than 268,000 displaced people, mostly since September. The death tolls do not match: the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms denounced that at least 212 civilians, 38 of them minors, were killed by "indiscriminate" bombings, snipers, and landmines. The UN, on the other hand, verified as of Wednesday 57 civilians killed and 194 wounded, and said that half of the dead were children, according to OCHA. Leo XIV recalled the interreligious gathering on Tuesday, October 27, in Assisi, under the theme "Disarmed and Disarming Peace," which commemorates the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by Saint John Paul II. "Never more than today is it evident that wars, in addition to sowing death and destruction, impoverish and harm the world. May the Lord inspire decisions of dialogue and peace," he said. The pontiff, 71 years old, will not attend. His personal physician, Luigi Carbone, and the surgeon who operated on him, Stefano Margaritora, advised against the helicopter trip as a precaution, given the short time elapsed since the surgery. The pope was operated on October 13 at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, two days after announcing during the Angelus that a nodule had been detected in his right lung. The doctors removed the lower lobe of that lung. Tests confirmed a localized adenocarcinoma and, according to the Vatican, no additional treatment is required. A follow-up X-ray showed an "excellent postoperative evolution." The Vatican reported that it will send a message to the gathering. For now, the operation has not changed his trip to Latin America: the pope is scheduled to visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru from November 6 to 17, and the surgeon who operated on him said there are no clinical reasons to cancel it, although he estimated he would need about ten more days to fully recover.