Diplomats and faith leaders gather in Geneva echoing Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace rooted in justice, dialogue, and human dignity.
Newsroom (30/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) Against a backdrop of escalating wars and a world increasingly reliant on the “logic of brute force,” the Holy See’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva convened its 17th Annual Interreligious Service for Peace on Wednesday. The gathering drew nearly 300 diplomats, ambassadors, and religious leaders to the Church of St. Nicolas de Flüe for reflection and prayer centered on Pope Leo XIV’s 2026 World Day of Peace message, “Peace be with you all: Towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace.”
Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See, opened the service by challenging both political and religious actors to reject the cycles of hostility shaping global affairs. “An ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace conquers without conquest,” he said, urging participants to cultivate reconciliation over retaliation and to resist the “weaponisation” of words and beliefs. Faith, Balestrero warned, must never be twisted into a justification for violence.
A Vision of “Demanding Hope”
Among the key voices was Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who traveled from the Holy Land to deliver a message infused with realism and resolve. He described Pope Leo’s appeal as “a demanding hope”—one that refuses to normalize conflict yet acknowledges the courage required to sustain dialogue amid despair.
“Giving up on peace would mean accepting war as the ‘normal language’ in human and international relations,” Pizzaballa told the assembly. Ceasefires, he emphasized, can only hold when rooted in justice and mutual recognition: “There is no lasting peace without justice, but there is no real justice unless the other is recognised as a person, not a tool or an obstacle.”
His words resonated deeply in a year marked by protracted crises in the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe, underscoring the Church’s diplomatic refrain that peace demands patience, political will, and a human-centered vision.
The Humanitarian Imperative
The service also included a statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), delivered by Vice-President Gilles Carbonnier on behalf of President Mirjana Spoljaric. With over 130 armed conflicts currently active, the ICRC warned of the global erosion of humanitarian norms designed to protect civilians.
“If there are 100 steps to peace, the first are humanitarian,” the statement read. “Respect for humanitarian law saves lives and preserves pathways back to peace.” The appeal echoed the Vatican’s long-standing call for adherence to international humanitarian law as a moral and practical foundation for peacebuilding.
A Universal Prayer
Interwoven throughout the liturgy were reflections from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist representatives—a mosaic of belief traditions underscoring peace as a common ethical horizon. Choirs from the Filipino and African communities of Geneva lent their voices to the service, framing the event in warmth and solidarity.
The gathering concluded with the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, led by Bishop Charles Morerod of Lausanne, Geneva, and Fribourg, a symbolic invocation for simplicity, humility, and harmony among nations.
For the Holy See, the interreligious service reaffirmed an enduring diplomatic vision: a peace not imposed by might, but cultivated through encounter, compassion, and conscience. As Pope Leo XIV’s message insisted, “unarmed” peace does not mean passive resignation—it means the active disarmament of hearts and policies alike.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
Related Images:
