Pope Leo XIV warns diplomats of a global “zeal for war,” urging renewed commitment to peace, dialogue, and the defence of human dignity.
Newsroom (09/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) In an address reverberating beyond Vatican walls, Pope Leo XIV warned that the modern world faces a renewed “zeal for war” and a deep erosion of human rights, as nations abandon dialogue for domination. Speaking to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See on January 9, the pontiff described a world sliding back into habits of pride and violence.
“Our age,” he cautioned, “is one in which war has come back into fashion.” Multilateral diplomacy, born in the ruins of the Second World War, he said, is increasingly overshadowed by “the logic of power and deterrence.” The Pope lamented that the principle forbidding the use of force to alter borders—a cornerstone of postwar order—has been “completely undermined.”
A Moral Compass for the World Stage
This annual event, often dubbed the Vatican’s “State of the World” address, sets the moral tone for the year in diplomacy. For Pope Leo XIV, who ascended to the papacy only months ago, it was a moment to trace the ethical horizon guiding the Holy See: encounter over conflict, defense of the vulnerable, and peace grounded in truth.
Citing Saint Augustine’s City of God, the Pope reflected that those who wage war still want peace—yet “only the peace they desire.” That distortion, he warned, has again taken root. He recalled that the United Nations, founded eighty years ago, once promised a cooperative humanity “safeguarding peace, defending fundamental human rights, and promoting sustainable development.”
From Law to the Lives It Protects
Turning to humanitarian realities, the pontiff urged unwavering respect for international law, emphasizing that bombing civilians or destroying vital infrastructure defies all moral order. “Humanitarian law,” he said, “must always prevail over the ambitions of belligerents.” Hospitals, homes, and energy grids are not to be treated as strategic targets.
Global Crises and the Cry for Dialogue
The Pope’s lens ranged across continents: the war in Ukraine, where he pleaded for an immediate ceasefire; the humanitarian devastation in Gaza and the West Bank; and unrest in Venezuela, Haiti, and the Great Lakes region of Africa. He expressed hope in small “seeds of peace,” from the Armenia–Azerbaijan accords to the strengthening of Vatican–Vietnam relations.
Beyond these, he warned of “escalating tensions in the Caribbean Sea and along the American Pacific coast,” urging dialogue grounded in justice, not supremacy.
The Perils of Power: From Nukes to AI
Pope Leo XIV’s concerns extended to technologies that could redefine warfare. With the New START Treaty nearing its expiration, he warned of a new arms race—this time involving artificial intelligence. “AI,” he said, “requires ethical governance and regulatory frameworks that protect human freedom and responsibility.”
Dignity Before Interest
Migrants and prisoners, too often treated as threats or statistics, were placed at the heart of his plea for compassion. “Every migrant is a person,” he said, insisting that states cannot justify violating human dignity. Marking the IOM’s 75th anniversary, he cautioned that anti-trafficking efforts must not become a pretext for dehumanization.
He then thanked governments that responded to the Jubilee call for clemency and urged structural reform of justice systems. His voice sharpened against the death penalty, describing it as “a measure that destroys all hope of forgiveness.”
Freedom, Language, and the Shrinking Public Square
The Pope turned to a more insidious threat: the erosion of meaning itself. In modern discourse, he warned, language is often weaponized. When words lose their link to truth, “reality becomes debatable and ultimately incommunicable.” He lamented a “new Orwellian-style language” that silences dissent under the banner of inclusion.
This manipulation, he said, undermines genuine freedom of expression and narrows the public square. “Freedom,” he reminded listeners, “is protected precisely when language is anchored in truth.”
Conscience, Religion, and the Rights of the Soul
The Pope defended conscience as a bulwark of dignity: “Conscientious objection is not rebellion, but fidelity to oneself.” He warned that religious freedom—“the first of all human rights”—is under siege, citing data that two-thirds of humanity now faces severe restrictions on belief.
He condemned antisemitism “in all forms,” recalled victims of Christian persecution across Africa and the Middle East, and cautioned against quieter forms of exclusion in the West, where believers face pressure for defending life, family, or the marginalized.
A Culture of Life Against a Culture of Indifference
Reaffirming the right to life as “the foundation of every other right,” the Pope warned of a “short circuit” in modern human rights: new claims of freedom eroding old ones. He called on governments to support families and mothers, condemning attempts to “suppress life” in the name of progress.
Humility, Courage, and the Church’s Mission of Hope
Despite his sober tone, Pope Leo XIV ended on a note of grace. Peace, he said, remains “a difficult yet realistic good,” sustained by humility and courage—the humility to confront truth and the courage to forgive. These, he said, are the virtues of the Infant of Bethlehem and the Risen Christ.
Looking toward the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis of Assisi’s death, he invoked the saint’s legacy as “a man of peace and dialogue.” His final wish for the world’s ambassadors captured the essence of his papacy’s fledgling months: “May we have hearts humble enough to love peace, and strong enough to sustain it.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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