In his first New Year address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Leo XIV issued a stark moral warning: the world is drifting away from dialogue and toward a renewed enthusiasm for war, a trend he said threatens both international law and the dignity of human life.
Addressing ambassadors at the Vatican, the Pope said that “war is back in vogue” and cautioned that diplomacy rooted in dialogue is being replaced by “a diplomacy based on force,” according to Vatican News. He warned that peace is increasingly being pursued “through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion,” a mindset he said undermines the foundations of peaceful coexistence.
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Reflecting on the global order that emerged after the Second World War, Pope Leo XIV said the principle prohibiting nations from using force to violate the borders of others “has been completely undermined,” according to Vatican News. This erosion of restraint, he said, gravely threatens the rule of law itself.
The Pope pointed to rising international tensions, including instability in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. He expressed particular concern about escalating strains in the Caribbean and along the Pacific coast of the Americas, calling these developments “cause for serious concern,” according to Barron’s. Addressing the situation in Venezuela, he appealed “to respect the will of the Venezuelan people, and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all,” according to Barron’s.
At the heart of his address was a renewed defense of international humanitarian law. Pope Leo XIV stressed that protections for civilians and essential infrastructure are not optional or situational. Attacks on hospitals, homes, energy systems, and other necessities of daily life constitute “a serious violation” of humanitarian law, he said, emphasizing that such law “must always prevail over the ambitions of belligerents,” according to Vatican News.
The Pope framed his appeal not in political terms, but in moral ones. Protecting human dignity and the sanctity of life, he said, “always counts for more than any mere national interest,” according to Vatican News. He warned that when nations justify violence in the name of security or dominance, the vulnerable inevitably pay the highest price.
Pope Leo XIV also lamented what he called the “weakness of multilateralism,” saying institutions meant to foster dialogue are increasingly sidelined. He likened authentic diplomacy to a shared public square, where peoples can meet and speak truthfully, but warned that such dialogue collapses when words lose their meaning and reality itself becomes contested, according to Barron’s.
Looking ahead, the Pope cautioned against a renewed global arms race, particularly involving increasingly sophisticated weapons and artificial intelligence. Without ethical governance, he warned, such technologies risk accelerating violence rather than restraining it, according to Vatican News.
Despite the gravity of his message, Pope Leo XIV concluded with a call to hope grounded in Christian realism. Peace, he said, remains possible, but only through humility, respect for law, and a renewed commitment to truth. The Church, he insisted, will continue to raise its voice not in defense of power, but in defense of conscience, human dignity, and the sacredness of life, according to Vatican News.
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