Pope Leo XIV has announced the theme for the 2026 World Day of Peace: “Peace be with you all: Towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace.” The annual celebration, observed each year on January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, will focus on rejecting violence and building peace rooted in love and justice.
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A Call to Reject Violence
According to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the theme “invites humanity to reject the logic of violence and war, and to embrace an authentic peace based on love and justice” (Vatican News). Pope Leo XIV has often spoken of a peace that is both “unarmed” and “disarming,” a vision he first expressed on the evening of his papal election on May 8, 2025.
“This peace must be unarmed, that is, not based on fear, threats or weapons,” the Vatican statement explained. “And it must be disarming, capable of resolving conflicts, opening hearts and generating mutual trust, empathy and hope” (Vatican News).
The Pope’s vision challenges both individuals and nations to move beyond merely calling for peace and instead to embody it: “It is not enough to call for peace. We must embody it in a way of life that rejects every form of violence, whether it be visible or systemic” (Vatican News).
Peace for All Humanity
The Vatican highlighted that this invitation to peace extends to all people, not only Christians. Quoting from the Gospel of John, the Dicastery explained: “The greeting of the Risen Christ, ‘Peace be with you’ (Jn 20:19), is an invitation addressed to everyone—believers, non-believers, political leaders and citizens—to build the Kingdom of God and to work together to build a humane and peaceful future” (Vatican News).
New Book of Papal Speeches
Alongside the theme announcement, the Vatican Publishing House has released a new volume of Pope Leo XIV’s early addresses titled “And Let There Be Peace! Words to the Church and the World.” The collection, published in English, Italian, and Spanish, emphasizes his consistent call for reconciliation.
The Pope has repeatedly stressed that peace must begin in the heart: “Peace begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others” (Vatican News).
Interestingly, the Pope’s preferred expression—“unarmed and disarming”—echoes the words of Charles-Marie Christian de Chergé, O.C.S.O., a French Trappist monk martyred in Algeria in 1996. As Vatican News noted, Pope Leo XIV was elected on May 8, the liturgical memorial of the very same Martyrs of Algeria, a providential connection that has not gone unnoticed.
Building a Culture of Peace
The announcement of the 2026 theme reinforces Pope Leo XIV’s broader vision of the Church’s mission in today’s fractured world. His priorities—“the primacy of God, the communion of the Church, and the search for peace”—frame the pursuit of peace as both a spiritual and practical necessity (Vatican News).
For Catholics, the Pope’s appeal is a reminder that peace is not only the work of governments and diplomats but also the responsibility of every Christian. To live “unarmed and disarming” means cultivating empathy, rejecting violence in all its forms, and allowing Christ’s peace to shape how we live in our families, communities, and nations.
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