Pope Leo XIV warned diplomats of a breakdown in multilateralism and the rise of a “diplomacy based on force” in a wide-ranging address that also included his strongest language to date on abortion and surrogacy. Source: NCR Online.
In his annual address on Friday to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, the Pope surveyed the global crises of chief concern to the Vatican, including the situation in Venezuela following the United States’ January 3 capture of its president, Nicolás Maduro.
“I renew my appeal to respect the will of the Venezuelan people, and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all, ensuring a future of stability and concord,” he said.
The Pope also called for “an immediate ceasefire” in Ukraine as peace talks continue to stall and renewed appeals for peace in Gaza, reiterating support for a two-state solution that would secure Palestinians “a future of lasting peace and justice in their own land.”
Addressing the ambassadors in English, the Pope signalled concern that global cooperation is eroding before a global breakdown of multilateralism.
“A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies,” he said. “War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading.”
Leo also issued some of his harshest criticisms as pope so far against abortion, expressing the Holy See’s “deep concern about projects aimed at financing cross-border mobility for the purpose of accessing the so-called ‘right to safe abortion’.“
The Holy See, he said, “considers it deplorable that public resources are allocated to suppress life, rather than being invested to support mothers and families”.
The Pope also issued a sharp critique of surrogacy, which he said transforms the development of an unborn child “into a negotiable service.”
The Pope linked the erosion of multilateralism to what he described as a broader breakdown in language.
Leo warned that today “a new Orwellian-style language is developing which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fuelling it.”
A consequence of such linguistic breakdown, the Pope said, is the restriction of fundamental human rights such as the possibility for conscientious objection or religious freedom.
FULL STORY
Pope Leo warns ‘war is back in vogue,’ hardens stance on abortion (By Justin McLellan, NCR Online)
RELATED COVERAGE
Leo XIV’s speech to diplomats a seminar in St. Augustine (Crux)
Pope condemns zeal for war and threats to human rights (CNA via The Tablet)
