Pope Leo XIV: ‘Peace is holy, not war’

Pope Leo XIV joins religious leaders at Rome&rsquos Colosseum for the Community of Sant'Egidio's annual Meeting for Peace, calling for an end to war and a renewed commitment to reconciliation and prayer.

At the closing of the International Meeting for Peace: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue, organised by the Sant&rsquoEgidio Community, Pope Leo XIV joined leaders of the world&rsquos religions at Rome&rsquos Colosseum on Tuesday evening for a Meeting for Prayer for Peace.

International Meeting for Peace at the Colosseum (@Vatican Media)

In his address, delivered in the presence of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and other religious representatives, the Pope renewed the Church&rsquos call for reconciliation, dialogue, and fraternity among all peoples.

&ldquoWe have prayed for peace according to our diverse religious traditions,&rdquo Pope Leo said, &ldquoand we are now gathered together to proclaim a message of reconciliation. Conflicts are present in all parts of life, but war is no help in dealing with them or finding solutions. Peace is a constant journey of reconciliation.&rdquo

A world &ldquothirsting for peace&rdquo

Echoing the urgent need for unity in a world torn by war and displacement, the Pope decried &ldquothe abuse of power, displays of force, and indifference to the rule of law,&rdquo and called for &ldquoa true and sound era of reconciliation.&rdquo

&ldquoEnough of war,&rdquo he said forcefully, &ldquowith all the pain it causes through death, destruction and exile! Gathered here today, we express not only our firm desire for peace, but also our conviction that prayer is a powerful force for reconciliation.&rdquo

Pope Leo warned against the misuse of religion, saying that &ldquothose who practice religion without prayer run the risk of misusing it, even to the point of killing.&rdquo True prayer, he said, &ldquois an opening of the heart,&rdquo a movement that &ldquochanges the course of history&rdquo and transforms places of worship into &ldquotents of encounter, sanctuaries of reconciliation and oases of peace.&rdquo

In the spirit of Assisi

Marking nearly four decades since Saint John Paul II&rsquos historic 1986 interreligious meeting in Assisi, Pope Leo recalled that the &ldquospirit of Assisi&rdquo continues to inspire dialogue and friendship among believers.

He thanked the Community of Sant&rsquoEgidio and the many organisations that &ldquokeep this spirit alive, even going against the tide,&rdquo and urged all religions to &ldquooffer the immense treasures of ancient spiritualities to contemporary humanity.&rdquo

The Pope also noted that the gathering coincided with the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council&rsquos declaration on the relationship of the Church to non-Christian religions.

&ldquoFor the Catholic Church,&rdquo he said, &ldquoprayer in the spirit of Assisi is based on the solid foundation of Nostra Aetate.&rdquo Citing the Council&rsquos words, he added: &ldquoWe cannot truly pray to God as Father of all if we treat any people as other than sisters and brothers, for all are created in God&rsquos image.&rdquo

Only peace is holy

Recalling Pope Francis&rsquos 2024 message to the Paris meeting of Sant&rsquoEgidio, Pope Leo XIV repeated his predecessor&rsquos appeal against the instrumentalisation of religion:
&ldquoWars only escalate. Woe to those who try to drag God into taking sides in wars!&rdquo

&ldquoI would like to make these words my own,&rdquo Pope Leo said. &ldquoWar is never holy only peace is holy, because it is willed by God.&rdquo

A duty before God

Calling on political leaders to shoulder their responsibility for peace, the Pope described it as &ldquoa solemn duty before God incumbent on all those holding political responsibilities.&rdquo

&ldquoPeace,&rdquo he affirmed, &ldquois the priority of all politics. God will ask an accounting of those who failed to seek peace or who fomented tensions and conflicts. He will call them to account for all the days, months and years of war.&rdquo

Dare to make peace

Echoing the words of the Venerable Giorgio La Pira, whom he described as &ldquoa witness to peace,&rdquo the Pope urged humanity to embrace &ldquothe era of negotiation, the era of a new world without war.&rdquo

He encouraged believers of every faith to overcome what he called &ldquothe globalisation of powerlessness&rdquo through dialogue, cooperation, and shared responsibility.

As the Colosseum fell silent in prayer, Pope Leo&rsquos appeal resounded: &ldquoEven if the world turns a deaf ear to this appeal, we are certain that God will hear our prayer and the cries of so many who suffer. God wants a world without war. He will free us from this evil.&rdquo

Vatican News
Source: vaticannews.va/en