ABC News (US)
· collected 2026-09-13 · by NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks by addressing those who died and calling for peace in a speech from St. Peter's Square on Sunday. Speaking both in English and Italian, he renewed prayers for victims' families and invited everyone to pray for global peace amid ongoing conflicts and violence. The article highlights Pope Leo’s history as an Augustinian religious leader during the attacks, reflecting on issues of poverty and injustice that fuel such tragedies.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-13,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on Sunday from St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Speaking both in English and Italian, he expressed prayers for those who lost their lives or were wounded in the attacks and called for a renewed commitment to peace amid ongoing conflicts worldwide. The pope highlighted that two popes have previously visited Ground Zero: Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 and Pope Francis in 2015. On September 11, 2001, Pope Leo was in Rome attending an assembly of his Augustinian religious order.
Written for “Pope Commemorates 9/11” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 1 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 8519: attributed speech only · logged 2026-09-13
Pope commemorates 9/11 attacks with prayers for peace and for those who died
The pope spoke from St. Peter's Square.
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pope → commemorate → Square
Pope Leo XIV, history's first American pope, called for a renewed commitment to peace on Sunday as he marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on his home country.
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he → call → country
The Chicago-born pope made his first public comments to commemorate the anniversary, speaking in English at the end of his traditional Sunday noon blessing from his studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
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pope → bear → Square
“Two days ago marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States of America,” Leo said.
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Leo → mark → America
“I renew my prayers for those who lost their lives and for those who continue to bear the wounds of that tragic day.”
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who → renew → day
He added that “at a time when conflict and violence afflict so many of our brothers and sisters, I invite everyone to pray that the Lord will bestow his gift of peace upon the world.”
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Lord → add → world
Speaking in Italian he added: “The memory of the tragic events of 25 years ago pushes us to renew our commitment to peace, above all with prayer.”
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memory → speak → prayer
On Sept. 11, 2001, the former Robert Prevost was in Rome attending a big assembly of his Augustinian religious order.
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Prevost → attend → order
Prevost was elected superior of the entire order on Sept. 14, his birthday, a position he held for two consecutive terms until 2012.
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he → elect → 2012
Vatican News on Sunday republished excerpts of his first homily as superior, delivered on Sept. 21, 2001.
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News → republish → Sept.
In it, the future American pope reflected on the attacks.
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pope → reflect → attacks
“We cannot fail to remember the tragic events that shook the United States on Sept. 11,” he said in his homily.
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he → fail → homily
“The violence that the world witnessed last week in the United States is a tragic expression of a series of problems that are becoming increasingly acute everywhere.
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that → witness → problems
"Hatred and violence will continue to grow as long as so many people are forced to live in extreme poverty and are oppressed by so many forms of injustice.”
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people → continue → injustice
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.
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coverage → receive → funding
