James O'Reilly
Since the beginning of his papacy, there have been many occasions in which Pope Leo XIV has made an appeal for peace...
POPE LEO XIV
May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace.
With the Middle East embroiled in war, it was necessary to move from words to action. Pope Leo is convening a Prayer Vigil to pray for peace in St. Peter’s Square.
The message of “Universal Peace” has always been the message of the Church, and therefore of each pope.
POPE ST. PAUL VI
The peoples turn to the United Nations as to the ultimate hope for harmony and peace: we dare to bring here, together with our own, their tribute of honor and hope.
This happened in 1965: it was the first time a pope delivered a speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The central message of Pope Paul VI was “No more war.” It was a message he constantly repeated.
Pope St. John Paul II emphatically reinforced this message...
God of our fathers, great and merciful.
Lord of peace and of life. You have plans of peace and not of affliction.
You condemn wars.
Never again war, an adventure with no return. Never again war, a spiral of mourning and violence!
He was one of the most influential voices in the world that favored peace. He played a key role in mediating conflicts through Vatican diplomacy, but also through prayer, establishing a historic meeting for peace in Assisi in 1986, which Pope Benedict XVI recalled during his own papacy:
POPE BENEDICT XVI
Twenty-five years have passed since Blessed Pope John Paul II first invited representatives of the world’s religions to Assisi for a prayer for peace. What has happened since then? Where does the cause of peace stand today?
Pope Benedict XVI also called for this peace on countless occasions—including this time from his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
POPE BENEDICT XVI
I renew this urgent appeal to the Syrian people and their authorities, that they restore peaceful coexistence as soon as possible.
And if there was one defining feature of Pope Francis’ pontificate, it was his insistent appeals for peace—to him, war represented failure and loss on a universal scale.
POPE FRANCIS
And let us never forget: war is always a defeat. You cannot move forward through war. We must make every effort to engage in dialogue, to negotiate, and to end the war. Let us pray for this.
Peace is more urgent than ever in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in Sudan, in Syria, and in so many other places that are suffering a spiral of violence and destruction, further jeopardizing human dignity and coexistence among peoples.
