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Following his election as Pontiff, Pope Leo greeted the world with the words: "Peace be with you all!"
As we begin a new calendar year, on 1 January we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, and World Day of Peace.
This year is the 59th World Day of Peace, and the theme Pope Leo XIV has chosen is: “Peace be with you all: towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace”.
This is the peace of the risen Christ – a peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. It comes from God who loves us all unconditionally.
In his first World Day of Peace message, Pope Leo considers the fear, growing military spending, and threat of war in our world, inviting all people to embrace an authentic peace based on love and justice.
Reflecting on the peace that the risen Christ shared with his disciples, the Holy Father writes:
"Let us open ourselves to peace! Let us welcome it and recognise it, rather than believing it to be impossible and beyond our reach. Peace is more than just a goal; it is a presence and a journey."
An unarmed peace
Pope Leo highlights that the path of the Gospel is one of nonviolence. He recalls the challenge this posed to Jesus' disciples, who were commanded by the Lord to “put your sword back into its sheath.”
Reflecting on the life of Christ, the Pope notes that: “His was an unarmed struggle in the midst of concrete historical, political, and social circumstances.”
Consequently, he emphasises that Christians today must recognise past complicity in violence and commit to prophetic witness.
A disarming peace
Goodness is disarming. Perhaps this is why God became a child... “Peace on earth,” sing the angels, announcing the presence of a defenseless God, in whom humanity can discover itself as loved only by caring for him.
In a world that equates strength with domination, goodness becomes “disarming.”
“True peace cannot consist in the possession of an equal supply of armaments but only in mutual trust.” writes the Pontiff, as he underscores the need for dialogue and restorative justice.
Violence is not inevitable, stresses Pope Leo who also calls for a renewed commitment to the "disarming path of diplomacy, mediation, and international law,"
Walk in the light of the Lord
"May this be one of the fruits of the Jubilee of Hope, which has moved millions of people to rediscover themselves as pilgrims and to begin within themselves that disarmament of heart, mind and life" concludes the Holy Father.
The message finishes by echoing the hopeful promise of the prophet Isaiah:
"He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Is 2: 4-5).
Prayers for peace
Pray for the gift of peace for all those facing conflict.