Leo XIV invokes peace and remembers the populations affected by landslides and floods. Appeal on Nigeria: «Pain for the victims of terrorism»
His voice comes from the window of the Apostolic Palace. It is February 8, 2026 and Leo XIV, at the end of the Angelus, addresses the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square with an appeal that invites them to remember. Prayer as an antidote to war, history as a teacher of the future: these are the delicate (very current) topics addressed by the Pontiff.
Leo XIV and the prayer for Niscemi
The Pope remembers those who currently suffer under the weight of nature’s violence. Portugal, Morocco, Spain (particularly Grazalema, in Andalusia) and southern Italy: a geographical rosary of pain united by floods and landslides that have turned lives and landscapes upside down. But it is on Niscemi, in the province of Caltanissetta, that the most acute attention is focused. Since January 25th, a landslide of enormous dimensions, fueled by insistent rains and treacherous clay soil, has been threatening the town centre. Over 1,500 displacedfamilies torn from their homes, an entire community suspended between fear and expectation.
«I encourage communities to remain united and in solidarity with the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary», states Leo XIV, invoking that faith and hope which often (especially in these tragic situations) represent the only barrier against desperation.
The Nigerian situation
But if on the one hand nature strikes with blind force, on the other man continues to kill with lucid ferocity. In this case, the Pope’s thoughts fly towards Nigeria, shaken by intercommunity clashes that have transformed entire villages into silent theaters of death. In Benue State, two attacks in a few days caused 30 victims; over 50 kidnapped in raids against four villages in Kaduna State. Numbers and data that can hardly be explained in words, and which tell of a region in which Christians have long been incessantly persecuted for their faith.
“With pain and concern I learned of the recent attacks against various communities in Nigeria, which have caused serious losses of human life”, declares the Pontiff, expressing closeness to all victims of violence and terrorism. The hope is that the competent authorities “will continue to work with determination to guarantee the safety and protection of the lives of every citizen”.
