Pope Leo XIV issued a heartfelt appeal for peace during today’s Wednesday general audience, expressing the deep sorrow felt by the Church over the cries rising from war zones, particularly Ukraine, Iran, Israel, and Gaza.
“The heart of the Church is torn apart by the shouts coming from the battlefronts,” the pontiff emphasized, underscoring the urgent need to reject war.
“We must not get used to war,” Pope Leo XIV urged. “Instead, we must reject, as a temptation, the most powerful and advanced weapons.”
Speaking in the name of human dignity and international law, the American pontiff echoed the words of Pope Francis: “War is always a defeat.” He also recalled Pope Pius XII’s reminder that “with peace we lose nothing, but with war everything can be lost.”
Source: ANA-MPA, Translated by: Konstantinos Menkytas
