Pope Leo XIV joined religious leaders in prayer at Rome’s Colosseum yesterday, calling for an end to war and a renewed commitment to reconciliation and prayer. Source: Vatican News.
The meeting took place at the closing of the International Meeting for Peace: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue, organised by the Sant’Egidio Community.
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.”
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.”
Marking nearly four decades since St 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.
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.”
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Pope Leo XIV: ‘Peace is holy, not war’ (Vatican News)
