Pope Leo XIV urges world leaders to end conflicts and embrace dialogue over domination in his Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi message.
Newsroom (06/04/2026 Gaudium Press ) In the bright light of Easter Sunday, before tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV delivered an impassioned call for disarmament and peace, urging world leaders to “lay down their weapons” and reject domination in favor of encounter. Speaking from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica in his first Urbi et Orbi message as pontiff, he framed the Resurrection of Christ as a summons to rebuild the human family through compassion, humility, and dialogue.
“Let those who have weapons lay them down!” the Pope proclaimed, his words resonating across the square and beyond the Vatican walls. “Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace — not a peace imposed by force, but a peace born through dialogue, not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them.”
His plea came amid deepening global divisions and ongoing conflicts described by the Pontiff as the fruits of a “globalization of indifference.” Drawing from Scripture and tradition, Pope Leo’s message intertwined theological reflection with a concrete appeal for moral courage, inviting believers and leaders alike to reimagine strength not as domination but as self-giving love.
The Resurrection as a Model for Peace
In a sermon steeped in poetic and spiritual resonance, Pope Leo reflected on the Easter mystery as a victory of life over death, light over darkness, and love over hatred — won through suffering and humility. “Christ, our victorious King, fought and won his battle through trusting abandonment to the Father’s will,” he said. “To find those who were lost, he became flesh; to free those who were slaves, he became a slave.”
The Pope emphasized that Christ’s power was “entirely nonviolent,” likening it to a grain of wheat that dies before it can bear fruit. True peace, he argued, begins within the human heart — in the courage to forgive, to listen, and to replace revenge with compassion.
“This is the true strength that brings peace to humanity,” he said, “because it fosters respectful relationships at every level — among individuals, families, communities, and nations. It does not seek private interests but the common good.”
Warning Against Indifference
Echoing the late Pope Francis, Pope Leo lamented the “ever-increasing globalization of indifference” — the human tendency to turn away from suffering. He warned that indifference to conflict, poverty, and division has become a moral epidemic, dulling conscience and compassion alike.
“We are becoming accustomed to violence,” he said, “resigning ourselves to it, becoming indifferent to the deaths of thousands and the consequences that all humanity bears.” The Pope urged the faithful not to accept evil or fatalism, but to love the resurrection — “for evil is not the last word, because it has been defeated by the Risen One.”
A Global Prayer for Peace
Pope Leo concluded his address with an invitation to the world: to join him next Saturday, April 11, for a prayer vigil for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica. The vigil, he said, would be an appeal to heaven on behalf of a world “ravaged by wars and marked by hatred and indifference.”
“The peace that Jesus gives,” he reminded listeners, “is not the silence of weapons but the peace that transforms the heart.” He called on every person to let that transformation begin within themselves and extend outward — across borders, ideologies, and divisions.
As the bells of the Vatican rang out to mark Easter Mass, Pope Leo’s call echoed a central conviction of his nascent papacy: that peace must be built not through might but through mercy. “Let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power,” he urged. “Let us implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world that feels powerless in the face of evil.”
With those words, the Pope entrusted not only the Church but humanity to the risen Christ: “He is the one who makes all things new.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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