"We prayed for peace according to our different religious traditions and now, we have come together to present a message of reconciliation": this is what Pope Leo XIV said at the beginning of his address, in the Colosseum, on the occasion of the International Meeting for Peace, organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio on the theme "Courage for Peace". From 26 to 28 October, representatives of the major religions, the cultural world, civil society and politics met in Rome, with the aim of discussing together the most urgent challenges of our time, on peaceful coexistence, solidarity and on new visions and perspectives for peace.
"Prayer is a great force for reconciliation"
Conflicts "are present wherever there is life, but war does not help to confront or resolve them," Pope Leo XIV noted. But peace is "the permanent path to reconciliation." The human heart, the Holy Father continued, must truly "tend towards peace," because "the world thirsts for it." "Enough with wars, with their painful procession of victims, destruction, and refugees!" the Pope raised his voice, seeing this international meeting not only as a manifestation of "a firm will for peace," but also as "awareness that prayer is a great force for reconciliation."
"He who does not pray abuses religion, even to the point of killing. Prayer is a movement of the soul, an opening of the heart. No word should be exalted, no arrogant attitude, no religious slogan should be used against God's creatures. We believe in prayer, which changes the history of peoples. Places of prayer should be tents of meeting, sanctuaries of reconciliation, oases of peace."
"The Spirit of Assisi"
The invitation made by Saint John Paul II on October 27, 1986, gathered the world's religious leaders in Assisi to pray for peace: "never again against each other, but alongside each other," Leo XIV recalled. It was "a historic moment, a turning point in relations between religions," the Holy Father affirmed.
As today, October 28, marks the 60th anniversary of the Declaration Nostra Aetate of the Second Vatican Council, the Pope pointed out that for the Catholic Church, prayer in the "spirit of Assisi" is based on the "solid foundations expressed" in this conciliar document, especially in the "renewal of relations between the Catholic Church and other religions". This is why, on this anniversary, the Bishop of Rome called again for "the commitment to dialogue and fraternity, desired by the Fathers of the Council, which has borne so much fruit". The Second Vatican Council, he explained, makes it clear that: "We cannot seek God, the Father of all men, if we refuse to behave fraternally towards men created in the image of God" (Nostra aetate, no. 5).
"We must distance religions from the temptation to become tools that promote nationalism, ethnicism and populism. Wars are intensifying. Woe to those who try to involve God in wars!", Leo XIV mentioned in a message from Pope Francis sent on September 17, 2024, to participants in the International Meeting of Prayer for Peace, held in Paris. Then, he repeated "forcefully": "War is never holy, only peace is holy, because it is desired by God!"
Enough!
"We must ensure that this period of history marked by war and the domination of force ends quickly and a new history begins," urged the Pope, who also warned that "we cannot allow this period to continue, to shape the mentality of peoples, we cannot get used to war, considering it a normal companion of human history."
"Enough! This is the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. Enough! O Lord, hear our cry!" added Leo XIV.
Let's change the history of the world
We must change the history of the world, the Pope continued, turning it into the history of the era of negotiations and of a new world without war, as Giorgio La Pira wrote to Pope Saint Paul VI. These are words, Leo XIV emphasized, that "today more than ever, can constitute a program for humanity". "The culture of reconciliation will overcome the current globalization of powerlessness, which seems to tell us that another history is impossible". Dialogue, negotiations and cooperation "can resolve the tensions that arise in situations of conflict", the Holy Father raised his voice, calling once again for an end to war, which is "an urgent task of all political leaders before God. Peace is the priority of all policies".
"God will hold accountable those who have not sought peace, or who have fomented tensions and conflicts," declared Leo XIV, once again repeating the words of his predecessor. This is the appeal "that we, religious leaders, address with all our hearts to those in power. We echo the people's desire for peace. We are the voice of those who are not heard and who have no voice. We must have the courage to reach the goal!" said the Successor of Saint Peter, because "God wants a world without war," he concluded.
