On May 30, 2025, Pope Leo XIV issued a powerful call for nonviolence as a way of life, urging individuals and communities to resist the global surge of hostility. Addressing over 300 peace movement representatives gathered in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, the Pope declared that “nonviolence, as a method and a style, must characterize our decisions, our relationships, our actions.”
This audience marked the one-year anniversary of the “Arena of Peace” gathering in Verona, where Pope Francis met with these same groups in May 2024. Building on that momentum, Leo XIV, already known for his pastoral clarity and cultural sensitivity, offered a deeply human reflection on the moral imperative of peace.
“There is too much violence in the world, too much violence in our societies,” he said, listing war, terrorism, human trafficking, and a broader “culture of aggression” that permeates daily life. In contrast, he stressed that children and young people “need experiences that teach them the value of life, dialogue, and mutual respect.”
In his remarks, the Pontiff elevated those who suffer injustice yet refuse vengeance. These witnesses, he said, are “the most credible protagonists of nonviolent peace-building.”
He emphasized the need for “a different way of life — nonviolent at its core,” and challenged attendees to embody that in everyday choices.
Quoting his predecessor Francis, Leo XIV noted that peace begins by “standing with the victims and seeing from their perspective.” This outlook, he said, can disarm hearts, change minds, and expose the injustices of systems “that kill and are built on a throwaway culture.”
He also invoked St. John Paul II’s teaching that peace “is an indivisible good: it is either for everyone, or for no one,” highlighting the communal dimension of true peace. Acknowledging the long road peace requires, Leo XIV added that conflicts should not be ignored or erased, but rather “recognized, embraced, and endured together.”
The pope’s vision, grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, reaches beyond the Church’s walls. “The Gospel and the Church’s social doctrine,” he affirmed, “can serve as a meaningful compass for everyone — believers and non-believers alike.”
The most poignant moment came when Leo XIV honored two audience members: Maoz Inon, an Israeli whose parents were killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, and Aziz Sarah, a Palestinian whose brother was killed by the Israeli military. The Pope recalled their public embrace in Verona — a gesture of courage and reconciliation that moved the crowd to applause. “That moment remains a sign of hope,” he said.
In a world overwhelmed by conflict, Pope Leo XIV offers a countercurrent — rooted in dignity, courage, and the conviction that peace is a disciplined act of love.
