Pope Leo: We are ready to help bring enemies together, face to face to talk

Pope Leo XIV. Photo: @Vatican Media

At a meeting with hierarchs and faithful of the Eastern Catholic Churches, Pope Leo XIV stated that he is prepared to assist in bringing representatives of warring countries together so they can meet face to face to restore hope and peace to their peoples, reports the Vatican News website.

The pontiff referred to wars across different parts of the world, including Ukraine.

“From the Holy Land to Ukraine, from Lebanon to Syria, from the Middle East to Tigray and the Caucasus, how much violence do we see! Rising up from this horror, from the slaughter of so many young people, which ought to provoke outrage because lives are being sacrificed in the name of military conquest, there resounds an appeal: the 2 appeal not so much of the Pope, but of Christ himself, who repeats: ‘Peace be with you!’” he said.

According to him, “Christ’s peace is not the sepulchral silence that reigns after conflict; it is not the fruit of oppression, but rather a gift that is meant for all, a gift that brings new life. Let us pray for this peace, which is reconciliation, forgiveness, and the courage to turn the page and start anew.”

Pope Leo also stated that the Vatican is ready “to help bring enemies together, face to face, to talk to one another, so that peoples everywhere may once more find hope and recover the dignity they deserve, the dignity of peace.”

“The peoples of our world desire peace, and to their leaders I appeal with all my heart: Let us meet, let us talk, let us negotiate! War is never inevitable. Weapons can and must be silenced, for they do not resolve problems but only increase them. Those who make history are the peacemakers, not those who sow seeds of suffering. Our neighbours are not first our enemies, but our fellow human beings; not criminals to be hated, but other men and women with whom we can speak. Let us reject the Manichean notions so typical of that mindset of violence that divides the world into those who are good and those who are evil,” the Pope concluded.

As previously reported by the UOJ, Zelensky intends to attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo.

Read also