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

Pope Leo XIV joins religious leaders at Rome’s 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’Egidio Community, Pope Leo XIV joined leaders of the world’s religions at Rome’s Colosseum on Tuesday evening for a Meeting for Prayer for Peace.

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

“We have prayed for peace according to our diverse religious traditions,” Pope Leo said, “and 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.”

A world “thirsting for peace”

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

“Enough of war,” he said forcefully, “with 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.”

Pope Leo warned against the misuse of religion, saying that “those who practice religion without prayer run the risk of misusing it, even to the point of killing.” True prayer, he said, “is an opening of the heart,” a movement that “changes the course of history” and transforms places of worship into “tents of encounter, sanctuaries of reconciliation and oases of peace.”

In the spirit of Assisi

Marking nearly four decades since Saint John Paul II’s historic 1986 interreligious meeting in Assisi, Pope Leo recalled that the “spirit of Assisi” continues to inspire dialogue and friendship among believers.

He thanked the Community of Sant’Egidio and the many organisations that “keep this spirit alive, even going against the tide,” and urged all religions to “offer the immense treasures of ancient spiritualities to contemporary humanity.”

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

“For the Catholic Church,” he said, “prayer in the spirit of Assisi is based on the solid foundation of Nostra Aetate.” Citing the Council’s words, he added: “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.”

Only peace is holy

Recalling Pope Francis’s 2024 message to the Paris meeting of Sant’Egidio, Pope Leo XIV repeated his predecessor’s appeal against the instrumentalisation of religion:

“Wars only escalate. Woe to those who try to drag God into taking sides in wars!”

“I would like to make these words my own,” Pope Leo said. “War is never holy; only peace is holy, because it is willed by God.”

A duty before God

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

“Peace,” he affirmed, “is 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.”

Dare to make peace

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

He encouraged believers of every faith to overcome what he called “the globalisation of powerlessness” through dialogue, cooperation, and shared responsibility.

As the Colosseum fell silent in prayer, Pope Leo’s appeal resounded: “Even 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.”