Pope Leo XIV urges peace and mercy during Mass in Monaco, calling believers to reject idolatry and witness through faith and compassion.
Newsroom (30/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) During a solemn Mass celebrated in the Principality of Monaco, Pope Leo XIV delivered a message both urgent and tender: a call for peace, mercy, and spiritual renewal in a world darkened by violence. Urging believers not to grow “accustomed to the clamor of weapons and images of war,” the Pope said the Church in Monaco is “called to bear witness to living in peace,” embodying compassion in daily life.
Gospel of Lazarus and the Roots of Fear
Drawing from the Gospel of John (11:45–57), Pope Leo reflected on the story of Lazarus’s resurrection and the Sanhedrin’s decision to put Jesus to death. That decision, the Pope explained, was “not a matter of fate, but a deliberate and carefully considered decision” rooted in fear.
“If Jesus continued to inspire hope and turn the people’s sorrow into joy, the Romans would come and devastate the nation,” he recalled, quoting St. John’s account of the leaders’ anxiety. Rather than welcoming the Messiah, they viewed Him as a threat to their authority.
According to the Pope, this ancient dilemma mirrors modern reality. “We are witnesses,” he said, “to two opposing forces: on the one hand, the revelation of God, who presents himself as Lord and Savior; and on the other, the hidden schemes of the powerful eager to kill without scruples.” The same currents of fear and self-preservation, he implied, continue to deform politics and faith alike.
“How Many Plots to Kill the Innocent”
In an impassioned lament that echoed across the packed cathedral, Pope Leo said, “How many plots are devised around the world to kill the innocent! How many excuses are made to justify their elimination!” Yet, he reassured the faithful that even amid such darkness, “God’s eternal justice always rescues us from our graves, as it did with Lazarus, and gives us new life.”
Mercy, he emphasized, is the antidote to this despair. “The Lord frees us from pain by instilling hope and converting hardened hearts,” he said. “Mercy saves the world. It nurtures every human life in all its frailty—from the moment it grows in the womb until it withers away.” The Pope cited the need to embrace a “culture of mercy” over a “throwaway culture,” echoing his predecessor, Pope Francis.
Freedom from Idols and the Power of Faith
Turning to the first reading from Ezekiel, Pope Leo explained that liberation and sanctification—central to God’s plan of salvation—demand freedom from “idols” that enslave the human heart. “The word ‘idol’ means ‘small idea’,” he said, describing how excessive attachment to wealth, vanity, or power “undermines not only the glory of the Almighty, but also the human mind.”
“The Lord changed the course of history by calling us from idolatry to true faith, from death to life,” the Pope declared. He warned that idolatry, in all its modern forms, makes people “slaves of each other,” whereas purification “sanctifies and makes people children of God and brothers and sisters to one another.”
Quoting the prophet Jeremiah’s promise—“I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them after their sorrow”—the Holy Father linked ancient prophecy to modern wounds. He called today’s wars “the fruit of the idolatry of power and money,” adding, “Every life cut short wounds the body of Christ.”
Peace Through Purified Hearts
“Let us not grow accustomed to the clamor of weapons,” Pope Leo implored. True peace, he said, “is not merely a balance of power but the work of purified hearts—of those who see others as brothers and sisters to be protected, not enemies to be defeated.”
To the faithful in Monaco, the Pope gave a mission: to live their faith as a source of joy and service. “Bring happiness to others through your faith, by manifesting authentic joy,” he said. “God’s love is the source of this joy: love for new and vulnerable life, love for the young and the elderly, love for the healthy and the sick.”
He urged the Church in Monaco to become “a welcoming and dignified space for the little ones and the poor,” invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the principality’s patroness. “May she help you provide a place where integral and inclusive development can thrive,” he prayed.
The Lord Prepares His Easter
As his homily drew to a close, Pope Leo reflected on the endurance of hope:
“In the world’s prolonged Lent, when evil rages and idolatry makes hearts indifferent, the Lord prepares His Easter.”
He reminded the congregation that believers themselves are signs of resurrection: “Lazarus, called from the tomb; we, forgiven sinners; and the Risen Crucified One, the author of salvation.” Each, he said, reveals “the way, the truth, and the life” that sustains the Church’s mission—to give God’s life to the world.
With that, his message to Monaco and beyond was unmistakable: in an age of fear, faith must bear witness to peace; in a world scarred by power, only love can restore life.
- Raju Hasmukh with files form Vatican News
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