Before the ambassadors of the 184 countries accredited to the Holy See, Pope Leo XIV expressed his hopes for peace among the "entire family of peoples," though he mentioned specifically only the conflicts in Ukraine and the Holy Land.
During his first address to the diplomatic corps this May 16, 2025, the Holy Father spoke of his aspiration to "reach out and embrace all individuals and peoples on the Earth, who need and yearn for truth, justice and peace!"
In a certain sense, my own life experience, which has spanned North America, South America and Europe, has been marked by this aspiration to transcend borders in order to encounter different peoples and cultures.
The new pope spoke in Italian, rather than French which is considered the official language of diplomacy, and was customarily used by the popes until Benedict XVI.
"Through the constant and patient work of the Secretariat of State, I intend to strengthen understanding and dialogue with you and with your countries, many of which I have already had the grace to visit, especially during my time as Prior General of the Augustinians," he said.
Leo presented peace, social justice, and truth as the three pillars of the diplomatic efforts of the Holy See, emphasizing in particular the place of the traditional family based on "the stable union between a man and a woman" as the basic unit of society.
Mission for each person
The Holy Father declared that "no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike."
My own story is that of a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate. All of us, in the course of our lives, can find ourselves healthy or sick, employed or unemployed, living in our native land or in a foreign country, yet our dignity always remains unchanged: it is the dignity of a creature willed and loved by God.
Before the diplomats, the Pope insisted on the Church's mission to speak the truth, admitting that this can sometimes create difficulties.
He said that "the Church can never be exempted from speaking the truth about humanity and the world, resorting whenever necessary to blunt language that may initially create misunderstanding. Yet truth can never be separated from charity, which always has at its root a concern for the life and well-being of every man and woman."
The Holy Father also reiterated a point he made earlier this week to media: the importance of words. Referring to peace, he said:
All too often we consider [peace] a “negative” word, indicative only of the absence of war and conflict, since opposition is a perennial part of human nature, frequently leading us to live in a constant “state of conflict” at home, at work and in society. Peace then appears simply as a respite, a pause between one dispute and another, given that, no matter how hard we try, tensions will always be present, a little like embers burning beneath the ashes, ready to ignite at any moment.
From a Christian perspective – but also in other religious traditions – peace is first and foremost a gift. It is the first gift of Christ: “My peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27). Yet it is an active and demanding gift. It engages and challenges each of us, regardless of our cultural background or religious affiliation, demanding first of all that we work on ourselves. Peace is built in the heart and from the heart, by eliminating pride and vindictiveness and carefully choosing our words. For words too, not only weapons, can wound and even kill.
Read the whole address here.
The Holy See and the whole world
This number has increased by one since January 2023, as last February the Holy See established full diplomatic relations with the Sultanate of Oman. The last country before this year to have established diplomatic relations with the Holy See was Myanmar in 2017.
With these countries, the Holy See has either a local nunciature (110) or a non-residential nunciature (74); in this latter case, the apostolic nuncio, the Holy See’s “ambassador,” resides in another country than the one he represents. For example the new apostolic nuncio to Oman, Archbishop Nicolas Thevenin, is a non-residential ambassador and is located in Egypt, as he is also the apostolic nuncio to this country.
In comparison, China has diplomatic ties with 181 countries and the United States with 189 countries.
