Leo XIV: “Every war is a wound inflicted on the entire human family”

Pope Leo XIV calls for a “ceasefire without delay” after the Angelus, while earlier this morning he was in the Roman parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a “neighbourhood presidium” near Termini station, a place of “contradictions”: “So much potential for good and rampant violence”. On Lent: “Let us make room for silence”.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Leo XIV had a morning full of meetings. At around 8:15 am, he arrived at the Roman parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Castro Pretorio, run by the Salesians of Don Bosco.

The pastoral visit is part of the cycle dedicated to the diocese of Rome. In this place - ‘next to Termini Station and at a unique crossroads in the city’ - Prevost met children, young people, parishioners and the Salesian community. He then presided over Mass in the church before going to St Peter's for the recitation of the Angelus from the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

After the Angelus, in front of a St. Peter's Square packed with faithful on a beautiful sunny day, Leo XIV recalled the sad anniversary of four years since the start of the ‘war against Ukraine’; the Russian invasion began on 24 February 2022.

“My heart still goes out to the dramatic situation that is before everyone's eyes: how many victims, how many lives and families broken, how much destruction, how much unspeakable suffering! Truly, every war is a wound inflicted on the entire human family: it leaves behind death, devastation and a trail of pain that marks generations”.

Prevost spoke of a peace that “cannot be postponed”. It “is an urgent need that must find space in our hearts and translate into responsible decisions,” he said. He then “forcefully” renewed his appeal for “the silencing of weapons, the cessation of bombing, the immediate establishment of a ceasefire and the strengthening of dialogue to pave the way for peace.”

He invited everyone to pray ‘for the tormented Ukrainian people and for all those who suffer because of this war and every conflict in the world, so that the long-awaited gift of peace may shine upon our days.’

Before the midday Angelus, in his homily during Mass, the Pope said he saw in the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus a ‘special bastion of proximity, of closeness amid the challenges of this area.’

In fact, many people pass through this place, located near Termini, Italy's largest railway station: ‘young university students, commuters who come and go for work, immigrants looking for jobs, young refugees,’ the Pope recalled in his text.

There, they find ‘the opportunity to meet Italian peers and carry out integration projects; and then there are our brothers and sisters who have no home and find welcome in the spaces of Caritas.’

‘Within a few metres, one can touch the contradictions of our time: the carefree attitude of those who arrive and depart with all the comforts and those who have no roof over their heads; the many possibilities for good and rampant violence; the desire to work honestly and the illicit trade in drugs and prostitution,’ he said.

Leone XIV invited the parish to ‘be the leaven of the Gospel in the dough of the territory, to be a sign of closeness and charity.’ He thanked the Salesians ‘for the tireless work they carry out every day.’ Meeting with the community, Prevost shared that as a boy, before entering the Augustinians, he considered becoming a Salesian.

He told them: ‘You came in second place, I'm sorry! [laughter] But perhaps something has remained in my heart, even united with you, in the Salesian community. In fact, I have visited more Salesian communities than Augustinian ones in these first ten months of my pontificate. So I am really close to you.’

Before reciting the Marian prayer, Prevost commented on the Gospel of the day: the passage from the Evangelist Matthew that recounts Jesus' temptation in the desert (Mt 4:1-11). ‘The liturgy, with this Word of life, invites us to look at Lent as a luminous journey in which, through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we can renew our cooperation with the Lord in realising the unique masterpiece of our lives,’ he said.

And, at the beginning of the Lenten journey - today is the First Sunday - the Pope suggested practising penance ‘generously’, together with prayer and works of mercy.

‘Let us make room for silence; let us silence our televisions, radios and smartphones for a while,’ he continued. ‘Let us listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who speaks to us in our hearts, and let us listen to one another, in our families, in our workplaces, in our communities,’ added Leo XIV. ‘Let us devote time to those who are alone, especially the elderly, the poor, the sick. Let us give up what is superfluous and share what we save with those who lack the necessities.’