The Pope’s unexpected speech in Assisi

Rome. It was quite evident – even before the doctors advised the Pope against boarding the helicopter bound for Umbria – that Leo XIV’s priority during these weeks of preparation for the eagerly awaited (and much-desired) intercontinental trip to Latin America was not the afternoon in Assisi marking the fortieth anniversary of the historic Day of Prayer for Peace, initiated in 1986 by John Paul II. This was confirmed by the video message sent to the organisers (Sant’Egidio in particular), lasting seven minutes and a few seconds, in which the Pontiff reiterates some of the cornerstones of his pontificate, recalling that only peace is holy and never war, and that war cannot be waged in the name of God. 

That said, Leo XIV falls silent. He makes no mention of Russia and Ukraine, despite having been at the centre of a significant diplomatic initiative just a few days ago (even though the credit for the truce in Oleshky was subsequently claimed by the American First Lady, Melania Trump). None of this was mentioned in the message. Not a single word on the crisis in the Middle East, neither from a political nor a religious perspective. Nothing on mass-casualty terrorism, nothing on Africa. Rather than a speech on the 1986 Day of Prayer, the text prepared for the Pope seemed more like a greeting. Given the parade of dignitaries and eminent figures gathered there – professors and experts in the fields of dialogue and culture – it is likely that some were impressed. The Pontiff quoted his encyclical when he said, referring to the first meeting in 1986, that ‘it was, at that time, the era of the Cold War, a very different scenario from today’s.’ After 1989, quite a few people argued that globalisation would ensure stable peace for the world. Unfortunately, as I wrote in Magnifica humanitas, ‘we have placed almost blind trust in the markets’ ability to produce well-being, democracy and stability, whilst in reality globalisation has not automatically generated unity and peace, but has provoked fundamentalist, identitarian and nationalistic reactions’”. The discourse remains firmly grounded in reality, with various citations from documents, including the Catechism of the Catholic Church, when it states that “the accumulation of weapons seems to many to be a paradoxical way of deterring potential adversaries from war. They see in it the most effective means of ensuring peace amongst nations”. This is why, Leone emphasised, “precisely in these times of a culture of power, there is a need to foster the spirit of Assisi, which is a rejection of the religious legitimisation of war, a spirit of mediation and dialogue, contemplative experience and creative action for a future of peace. Yes, because peace must once again become the common ideal of all peoples, the guiding star of all our choices, the criterion that exposes injustice, the shared horizon of all peoples’. What we must do is ‘rebuild peace everywhere, not prepare for further wars! War can never be waged in the name of God! For us believers, ‘fighting in the name of religion actually means striking at religion itself’. There is no such thing as a holy war: only peace is holy!”.

In the Pope’s brief text, he highlights the way to achieve peace: through prayer. There is no mention of political agreements or in-depth analyses of the balance of power in one global arena or another. No, “prayer may seem weak in the face of the powers of the world, but it is the humble strength of believers”. Prayer “is a school of dialogue with God, with people and with all creatures. Let us think of St Francis, on whose eight-hundredth anniversary of his death we have recently commemorated. The world needs dialogue. The Assisi Journey commits religious leaders to fostering a climate of dialogue amongst the faithful and within society, so that the language of arrogance may be replaced by that of peace, negotiation and understanding. This will gradually steer humanity away from the spiral of violence”. It remains to be seen who will be able to put Leone’s appeal into practice.