Pope Leo XIV vowed to continue to intervene upon world leaders who contemplate nuclear warfare. While flying back to Italy on Sept 28, he was challenged by a reporter who asked him how it were possible to negotiate with Russia, which the reporter claimed threatens all of Europe. The Pope took the high ground: Referring to “the dangers that exist in today’s world, including those posed by certain leaders of countries who are once again speaking of nuclear weapons and wars that are becoming increasingly destructive,” he first explained:

“They are continuing to arm and spend on that enormous military-industrial complex, which for many decades now—since last year, for the past five years—has continued to promote military spending. A select few are getting incredibly rich off an industry that promotes war. Meanwhile, with these billions of euros or dollars, problems such as world hunger, homelessness, and unemployment could be solved.

“Everyone is looking for a voice that can offer an alternative path—one that does not involve spending more on weapons, which only fuels growing tension that could lead to the outbreak of another war or conflict. And we see the violence that these powers always seek to impose by force, rather than engaging in dialogue and promoting negotiations to resolve differences, which naturally may exist; on the contrary, we are moving ever closer to a war or several wars, or to conflicts like those we see in the world today.”