Leo XIV pledges to work for peace in regions where Christians persecuted
The pontiff reaffirmed his commitment to actively promote the spirituality and traditions of the Eastern Rite Churches, Catholic communities with origins in the Middle East and Eastern Europe that have been affected by years of conflict and persecution.
Leo XIV, on his first appearance after his election.
Pope Leo XIV is committed to working for peace in places where Christians are persecuted. In that regard, the pontiff pledged to make every effort to work for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine.
In addition, he reaffirmed being committed to actively promoting the spirituality and traditions of the Eastern Rite Churches, the Catholic communities with origins in the Middle East and Eastern Europe that have been affected by years of conflict and persecution.
"The Church needs you," said Leo to an audience made up of Eastern Rite pilgrims, as part of the Holy Year program.
"The contribution that the Christian East can offer us today is immense! We have great need to recover the sense of mystery that remains alive in your liturgies, liturgies that engage the human person in his or her entirety, that sing of the beauty of salvation and evoke a sense of wonder at how God’s majesty embraces our human frailty!" he added.
The Pope noted that "Looking at you, I think of the diversity of your origins, your glorious history and the bitter sufferings that many of your communities have endured or continue to endure. I would like to reaffirm the conviction of Pope Francis that the Eastern Churches are to be 'cherished and esteemed for the unique spiritual and sapiential traditions that they preserve, and for all that they have to say to us about the Christian life, synodality, and the liturgy. We think of early Fathers, the Councils, and monasticism… inestimable treasures for the Church'."
Leo XIV insisted that "The Church will never tire of repeating: let weapons be silenced."
Similar messages were carried over to his X account, where Leo XIV assured that the Holy See is ready to mediate to bring about peace in many places in the world.
"The Holy See is willing to help enemies meet, so they may look each other in the eye and so people may be given back the dignity they deserve: the dignity of peace. With heart in hand, I say to the leaders of nations: let us meet; let us dialogue; let us negotiate!" wrote Leo XIV on social media.
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