Pope warns against the temptation of weapons, noting that ‘War is always a defeat’
In today’s audience in St Peter's Square, Leo XIV turned to the "cry of pain rising from places devastated by war” in Ukraine, Iran, Israel and Gaza. Citing Gaudium et Spes, he stressed that the use of "scientific weapons of all kinds" can lead to "barbarities" greater than those of times past. The pontiff appealed to those in power citing the words of Pius XII: “Nothing is lost with peace.”
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Leo XIV spoke this morning in St Peter's Square in front of thousands of people, who came to listen to his fifth general audience.
The heart of the Church, like that of humanity, is torn by “the cry of pain rising from places devastated by war,” the pontiff said. Such pain comes “in particular" from what is happening in Ukraine, Iran, Israel and Gaza. “We must never get used to war!” he insisted speaking from the parvis.
In a world where leaders are debating whether to join an offensive rather than how to work to build a lasting peace, Leo said that “the temptation to have recourse to powerful and sophisticated weapons needs to be rejected”.
This sparked a spontaneous applause in St Peter’s.
The pontiff went on to quote the pastoral constitution Gaudium et spes, a document promulgated during the Second Vatican Council in 1965.
“Indeed, now that every kind of weapon produced by modern science is used in war, the fierce character of warfare threatens to lead the combatants to a savagery far surpassing that of the past.
In his greetings to the pilgrims, he turned to the HOPE80 international delegation, which is leading the Flame of Hope pilgrimage to “promote reconciliation and peace” this year, the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
“May the light of divine love and brotherhood always burn in the hearts of the men and women of our one human family.”
Pope Leo XIV, whose voice on the topic of peace is needed now more than in any historical period, appealed to those responsible for wars “in the name of human dignity and international law.”
He cited two of his predecessors; first, Pope Francis, who said that “War is always a defeat!”, and Pius XII, for whom “Nothing is lost with peace; everything may be lost with war”.
Leo XIV also addressed Arabic-speaking faithful, “especially those from the Holy Land,” who are suffering from the blockade of humanitarian aid, colonial violence and, now, Iranian missiles.
“I invite you to open your hearts to Jesus,” he said, “and to trust that He is able to heal the wounds of our lives and lift us up to an existence full of peace and tranquility.”
With the catechesis read at the opening of the audience, the pontiff continued the Jubilee cycle on the theme “Jesus Christ our hope.”
“Let us continue to contemplate Jesus who heals,” he said at the beginning.
Today’s reflection focused on the healing of the paralytic found in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John (5:1-9).
“I would like to invite you to think about the situations in which we feel ‘blocked’ and stuck in a dead end,” he added.
This experience is very similar to what the Gospels describe as “paralysis.”
Jesus, who spoke to a man who had been paralysed for 38 years, resigned and disappointed, asked him: “Do you want to be well?” (v. 6).
Jesus “refers this man to his truest and deepest desire,” explained Pope Leo XIV. The man responds “in a more articulated way,” revealing the character of someone who wants to avoid responsibility, with a “fatalistic vision of life.”
“Jesus helps him to discover that his life is also in his hands. He invites him to get up, to raise himself up from his chronic situation, and to take his stretcher,” said Leo.
The man then gets up and takes his stretcher with him. “That mat is not to be left or thrown away: it represents his past of sickness, his history,” which until that moment had blocked him.
“Now it is he who can [. . .] decide what to make of his history! It is a matter of walking, taking responsibility for choosing what road to take. And this is thanks to Jesus!”
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