Pope Francis has backed UN Security Council efforts for global ceasefire in the face of the world-wide coronavirus pandemic. In remarks on Sunday to the public in St Peter's Square, in Rome, the Catholic leader hailed the Security Council's "request for a global and immediate cease-fire, which would permit the peace and security indispensable for supplying so urgently needed humanitarian assistance".<br/> The pontiff called for the prompt implementation "for the good of the so many persons who are suffering". Pope Francis also expressed hope that the Security Council resolution be a "courageous first step for the future of peace”. The UN Security Council on Wednesday finally backed UN chief Antonio Guterres’ March 23 call for the global truce, adopting a resolution after months of talks to win a compromise between the United States and China. The resolution, drafted by France and Tunisia, calls for “all parties to armed conflicts to engage immediately in a durable humanitarian pause for at least 90 consecutive days” to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Negotiations on the resolution were stymied by a standoff between China and the United States over whether to urge support for the World Health Organisation. The United States did not want a reference to the global health body, while China did. US President Donald Trump said in May that Washington would quit the Geneva-based UN health agency over its handling of the pandemic, accusing it of being “China-centric” and promoting China’s “disinformation,” assertions the WHO denies. The adopted Security Council resolution does not mention the WHO but references a UN General Assembly resolution that does.