At the closing of the International Meeting for Peace: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue, organised by the Sant’Egidio Community, Pope Leo XIV joined leaders of the world’s religions at Rome’s Colosseum on 28 October for a Meeting for Prayer for Peace.
In his address, delivered in the presence of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and other religious representatives, the Pope renewed the Church’s call for reconciliation, dialogue, and fraternity among all peoples.
“We have prayed for peace according to our diverse religious traditions,” Pope Leo said, “and we are now gathered together to proclaim a message of reconciliation. Conflicts are present in all parts of life, but war is no help in dealing with them or finding solutions. Peace is a constant journey of reconciliation.”
Echoing the urgent need for unity in a world torn by war and displacement, the Pope decried “the abuse of power, displays of force, and indifference to the rule of law,” and called for “a true and sound era of reconciliation.” “Enough of war,” he said forcefully, “with all the pain it causes through death, destruction and exile! Gathered here today, we express not only our firm desire for peace, but also our conviction that prayer is a powerful force for reconciliation.”
Pope Leo warned against the misuse of religion, saying that “those who practice religion without prayer run the risk of misusing it, even to the point of killing.” True prayer, he said, “is an opening of the heart,” a movement that “changes the course of history” and transforms places of worship into “tents of encounter, sanctuaries of reconciliation and oases of peace.”
