In his Urbi or Orbi address in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XVI made a powerful call for nations to lay down their weapons, and to choose peace a dialogue over force. He began by evoking the meaning of Easter, saying, “Easter is the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hatred,” and that it represents “the beginning of a new humanity.”
He then aimed his remarks unmistakably against the perpetrators of today’s dangerous war in Southwest Asia: “Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!” He also made sure to note that “The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent.”
Leo also quoted the late Pope Francis, who had warned of an ever-increasing “globalization of indifference.” “We cannot continue to be indifferent!” Leo said. “And we cannot resign ourselves to evil!”
He concluded with the following: “On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil.”
Leo announced that he will lead a prayer vigil for peace next Saturday, April 11, in St Peter’s Basilica, inviting everyone to join him.
