Pope Leo at Rosary vigil for peace: ‘Enough war!’

In the Kingdom of God, ‘there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialisation of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness’, Leo said.

The Pope renewed his demand for an end to wars around the world at a prayer vigil for peace in St Peter’s.

Speaking after praying the Rosary on Saturday evening, Pope Leo addressed an appeal to “the leaders of nations” with “binding responsibilities”.

“Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided,” he said.

“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”

The Pope asked those taking part in the vigil in St Peter’s and around the world to pray with “a little faith, a mere ‘crumb’ of faith, in order to face this dramatic hour in history together – as humanity and alongside humanity”.

“Prayer is not a refuge in which to hide from our responsibilities, nor an anaesthetic to numb the pain provoked by so much injustice,” he continued. “Rather, it is the most selfless, universal and transformative response to death: we are a people who are already risen!”

He contrasted the power of prayer to “break the demonic cycle of evil” with “that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive”.

“Even the holy name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death. A world of brothers and sisters with one heavenly Father vanishes, as in a nightmare, giving way to a reality populated by enemies,” he said, insisting that “those who pray are aware of their own limitations” and “do not kill or threaten with death”.

In the Kingdom of God, he said, “there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialisation of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness”.

Leo cited the words of John XXIII in Pacem in Terris and Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti, as well as the appeal of John Paul II against the Iraq war in 2003, when he urged the world to “do everything possible” to follow Paul VI’s address to the United Nations in 1965: “No more war.”

“Let us, therefore, unite the moral and spiritual strength of the millions and billions of men and women, young and old, who today choose to believe in peace, caring for the wounds and repairing the damage left behind by the madness of war,” Leo said, asking all people to reject war “not only in word, but also in deed”.

“Prayer calls us to leave behind whatever violence remains in our hearts and minds. Let us turn to a Kingdom of peace that is built up day by day – in our homes, schools, neighbourhoods, and civil and religious communities.”

He said that peace, like prayer, advances “word by word, deed by deed, just as a rock is hollowed out drop by drop, or fabric woven stitch by stitch”.

“These are the slow rhythms of life, a sign of God’s patience. We must not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the pace of a world that does not know what it is chasing. Rather, we must return to serving the rhythm of life, the harmony of creation and healing its wounds.”

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