In a video address to the final ceremony of the three-day event, “Unarmed and Disarming Peace: The International Meeting for Peace in Assisi,” which brought together in dialogue religious leaders from every continent, Pope Leo XIV told the gathering that “precisely in these times marked by a ‘culture of power,’ there is a need to cultivate the spirit of Assisi, which entails a rejection of the religious justification of war, a spirit of mediation and dialogue, and contemplative reflection combined with creative action in the service of a future of peace.”
“After 1989,” the pontiff said, “many believed that globalization would ensure lasting peace for the world…. In reality, rather than automatically generating unity and peace, globalization has provoked fundamentalist, identity-based and nationalistic reactions. Against this backdrop, there has been ‘troubling revival of war as an instrument of international politics.’”
“We must rebuild peace everywhere,” Leo said, “not prepare for more wars. War can never be waged in the name of God. For us believers, ‘to fight in the name of religion means attacking religion itself.’ There is no such thing as a holy war: only peace is holy.”
After the Pope’s remarks, a joint “Appeal for Peace” was issued, which put the necessity of ending war in the starkest terms:
“We cannot allow the world to surrender definitively to the logic of war and conflict in international relations. With the weak strength of believers, in the name of humanity, we repeat in our own words the appeal of the ancient prophets: let us transform weapons and expenditure on armaments into water, food, education, work, clean air, livable cities for all generations, and healthcare accessible to everyone….
“Either we succeed in putting an end to wars, or wars will truly put an end to humanity. There is only one world, our common home: we have inherited it, and we must leave it as such to future generations. Let us therefore free it from the nuclear nightmare! Rearmament is a slippery slope: we must de-escalate!...
“Enough of wars! Enough of the culture of war! Let us choose the creativity of dialogue and the boldness of peace, to heal the world of the disease of war and reduce social conflicts. We call for an end to the cult of force and the pedagogy of fear and blood, which blur the line between good and evil, numb our sense of humanity and foster a culture of death. It is time to rehabilitate peace.”
