‘Do not be afraid of the future’: Leo calls Europe to dialogue and encounter

The ‘Metz Appeal’ signed by religious leaders before the Pope’s speech affirmed their common call ‘to be vigilant, attentive to the dignity of each person, to refuse to accept violence, to strive for justice, and to act in the service of peace’.

Pope Leo XIV made a stirring call for peace, cooperation and dialogue on in Metz, a French border city scarred by past wars in a Europe once again marked by division and rising defence budgets.

Speaking on Monday in the Robert Schuman Centre, named after one of the architects of peace in postwar Europe, the Pope emphasised how much that secular dream had roots in a Christian culture the Catholic Church still defends.

The speech, near the village where Schuman is buried, came after he met with leaders of other religions in France. “Religious discourse must constantly call for the disarmament of hearts and words,” he told them.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron attended, but not the leaders of 26 other European Union countries he invited. Among the guests was Prince Albert II of Monaco and former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker of neighbouring Luxembourg.

“One cannot speak of Europe without mentioning Christianity,” Pope Leo said, reviewing history before coming to today’s challenges.

“Contemporary Europe is faced with a new stage in its long history of encounters with the arrival of many men and women fleeing war and persecution or seeking a better life far from poverty and hardship,” he said. This was an unprecedented encounter between cultures for which Schuman laid the foundations for European integration.

“Today, sadly, war has returned, even to Europe: a new senseless slaughter,” the Pope continued. “We need to commit ourselves to patient dialogue, to show courage in negotiation and to be willing to give up some positions for the greater good of peace.”

This was not naïve pacifism, Leo said. So-called peace efforts are sometimes actually policies to prepare for an expected conflict.

The Pope urged the young especially not to fall for a mentality of violence and oppression. “Do not be afraid of the future,” he said. “Do not be afraid to start a family, bring children into the world, to defend the dignity of every person, from the moment of conception until death.”

Leo said Europe had encountered other cultures in the past, mentioning the Muslim presence in Spain and Portugal and “the expansion of the ‘old continent’ into the ‘New World,’ which gave rise – at times painfully – to new integrations on the American continent”.

The “Metz Appeal” of French religious leaders, signed and read out before Pope Leo’s speech, said: “In a world that suffers and is too often divided, our religious traditions call us to be vigilant, attentive to the dignity of each person, to refuse to accept violence, to strive for justice, and to act in the service of peace … We are particularly opposed to the poison of totalitarianism … no religious tradition can be invoked to justify violence and hatred.”

Schuman was born in Luxembourg, studied law in Germany and rose in France to become prime minister. Declared venerable in 2021, the cause for his beatification is now being studied at the Vatican.

During the flight from Lourdes to Metz on Monday morning, Pope Leo spent half an hour in the cabin chatting with the flight team and exchanging greetings and a blessing to the pilots of two French fighter planes accompanying him.

“We had informal exchanges with him,” co-pilot Éric Marguerite told La Croix. “He’s fascinated by planes, cars, in general anything mechanical.”

Marguerite continued: “We gave the microphone to the Holy Father, who talked with the Rafale pilots. He transmitted his blessing to them and all the military people who work to protect people and peace in the world.”

Changing his initial decision, President Macron attended the final Mass of the visit in Metz’s Cathedral of St Stephen, something French officials sometimes avoid because of laïcité.

The theme of peace continued in the readings as Pope Leo said a farewell. The gospel was Matthew’s depiction of Jesus saying “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”.

In a world “marked by so much violence, manipulation and arrogance at various levels”, this gospel offers us “forgiveness, mercy and magnanimity”, the Pope said.

“It is not true that those who seek revenge are stronger than those who forgive,” he continued. “It is not true that those who refuse to yield are stronger than those who seek reconciliation. It is not true that those who walk away are stronger than those who face the challenge of walking together.”

As Pope Leo left the altar, the choir broke into the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s Messiah. He was due to fly back to Rome this evening.

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