Pope Leo XIV: If you want peace, prepare the peace institutions

By Christopher Wells

Pope Leo received more than 300 representatives of associations and movements on Friday which participated in the “peace arena” of 2024 in the Italian city of Verona.

The meeting, which took place in the Vatican, marked a “return visit”, reimbursing Pope Francis’ participation in last year’s event, and aimed to revive the traditional gatherings of Verona as a forum for discussions and proposals concerning the social doctrine of the church.

Standing with the victims

In his remarks to the group, Pope Leo XIV echoes Pope Francis, who said that “peace being held over the side of the victims and to see things from their point of view”. “This approach is essential,” he said, “to disarm hearts, approaches and mentalities, and to denounce the injustices of a system that kills and is based on disposable culture.”

The Pope underlined “the courageous embrace” of an Israeli and a Palestinian, each of whom had killed family members during the Gaza conflict. “They are now friends and work with each other,” said the pope, adding that their gesture “remains like a testimony and a sign of hope”.

Pope Leo explained that “the path to peace requires hearts and spirits trained and trained to be attentive to the other, and capable of recognizing the common good in the context of today.”

In this regard, he said that the commitment of those who participate in the arena of peace events “are particularly precious” because their concrete projects and actions “generate hope”.

Educate young people in peacebuilding

Deploring violence in our world and in our societies, Pope Leo said that young people needed to “be able to live the culture of life, dialogue and mutual respect”, in particular through good examples. Those who “resist the temptation to take revenge” after having suffered injustice and violence “become the most credible agents of non -violent peace strengthening”.

Non-violence, he said, “as a method and style, must distinguish our decisions, our relationships and our actions.”

The Holy Father declared that the Gospel and the Social Doctrine of the Church are “a constant source of support for Christians in this effort”, as well as a “compass for everyone” because the consolidation of peace is “a task entrusted to all”.

Prepare peace institutions

By concluding his remarks, Pope Leo said: “If you want peace, prepare peace institutions” – not just political institutions, but also educational, economic and social institutions. “For this reason,” he said, “I encourage you to remain committed and present: present in history as a leaven of unity, communion and fraternity”, adding that “fraternity must be recovered, loved, experienced, proclaimed and witness, in the hopeful hope that it is indeed possible, thanks to the love of God” paid in our hearts. ” “”