Pope Leo XIV to Assisi: “Only peace is holy”

Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to participants in the international meeting “Unarmed and Disarming Peace” in Assisi, marking the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace convened by Saint John Paul II on 27 October 1986.

The Pope could not attend in person: doctors had advised against the helicopter journey as a precaution while he recovers from thoracic surgery. In the message he says he would have liked to be “at the tomb of Saint Francis” to bear witness together that “living as brothers and sisters is already possible.”

## Against war “in the name of God”

Leo XIV warns of a “troubling revival of war as an instrument of international politics,” citing his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. Against a “culture of power,” he calls for the spirit of Assisi to grow: rejection of any religious justification of war, mediation, dialogue, prayer and action for peace.

His clearest line: “We must rebuild peace everywhere, not prepare for more wars. War can never be waged in the name of God. […] There is no such thing as a holy war: only peace is holy.”

## Prayer and dialogue

The Assisi path, he says, is first of all prayer — “the humble strength of believers” — and a school of dialogue, so that the “language of arrogance” may give way to “peace, negotiation and understanding.” He closes asking God to make believers “unarmed instruments of his peace,” quoting Mt 5:9.

The official text and video are on the Holy See website. The meeting is organized with the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Community of Sant’Egidio.