At a profoundly symbolic gathering in Rome, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, joined religious leaders of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and other faiths in a prayerful plea for reconciliation, fraternity and peace. Addressing the crowd, he affirmed: “War is never holy; only peace is holy, because it is willed by God.”
A call rooted in prayer
The Pope reminded the faithful that religion without prayer becomes vulnerable to misuse. “Those who practice religion without prayer run the risk of misusing it, even to the point of killing,” he warned, emphasising that “true prayer … is an opening of the heart”, and “changes the course of history”. In his view, places of worship become, from prayer, “tents of encounter, sanctuaries of reconciliation and oases of peace.”
Rejection of war, affirmation of reconciliation
Speaking with urgency, he declared: “Enough of war … with all the pain it causes through death, destruction and exile!” The conflict-torn realities of our world weighed heavily in his remarks. He decried “the abuse of power, displays of force, and indifference to the rule of law,” and insisted on “a true and sound era of reconciliation”.
Echoing the spirit of the great inter-religious gathering in Assisi nearly forty years ago and the enduring promise of Nostra Aetate—“We 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’s image.”
Peace: a duty before God
The Pope did not shy away from calling out political responsibility. He reminded global leaders that seeking peace is “a solemn duty before God incumbent on all those holding political responsibilities.” He affirmed: “Peace … is the priority of all politics. God will ask an accounting of those who failed to seek peace or who fomented tensions and conflicts.”
An invitation to every believer
He extended his appeal beyond political halls: every believer is summoned. He urged humanity to “dare to make peace” and enter “the era of negotiation, the era of a new world without war.” Believers of all faiths, together, should rise above “the globalisation of powerlessness” through dialogue, cooperation, shared responsibility—and above all, prayer. And even if the world turns a deaf ear, he assured: “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.”
Why this matters to the Catholic community
For Catholics, this moment calls us to live our baptismal identity as peacemakers. The Beatitude that proclaims “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt 5:9) finds fresh resonance here. As Pope Leo reminded journalists, “we must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war.”
In our parishes, our schools, our homes—and through initiatives such as those of the Community of Sant’Egidio—we are invited to build what the Pope called “tents of encounter… oases of peace.” We are invited to live the gospel truth that “nonviolence is a way of love, it is a way of peace.”
A renewed commitment
In fidelity to the Church’s long tradition, from Pope Pius XII to Pope John XXIII and Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV calls us afresh: war is not inevitable; peace is possible—and holy. As Catholics, we are challenged to echo his voice: to pray for peace, to act for reconciliation, and to stand firmly in the dignity of every human person.
Let us accept his invitation. We cannot afford to remain silent, or at ease. The world cries out. “Today more than ever, humanity cries out and pleads for peace,” he said. Let us respond.
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