Pope Leo XIV prayed for peace on Tuesday at Rome’s Colosseum, issuing a powerful appeal to end all wars during the closing ceremony of the interfaith meeting “Religions and Cultures in Dialogue,” organized by the Sant’Egidio Community, according to ANSA and Vatican News.
“Enough with wars!” was the heartfelt message delivered by the pontiff, who emphasized humanity’s urgent need for reconciliation and compassion. “The world is thirsty for peace—it needs a true and lasting era of reconciliation, one that ends oppression, displays of force, and indifference to justice. Enough with wars, with the painful piles of the dead, of destruction, of exile,” the Pope said before representatives of other Christian denominations.
Pope Leo XIV highlighted the transformative power of prayer as a force for reconciliation: “Those who do not pray abuse religion—even to the point of killing. Prayer is a movement of the spirit, an opening of the heart. Without shouting, without ostentation, without using religious slogans against God’s creatures. We believe that prayer can change the history of peoples.”
He called for all places of worship to become “havens of meeting, sanctuaries of reconciliation, and oases of peace.”
Addressing the challenges of global conflict, the pontiff denounced what he described as “the globalization of helplessness,” insisting that dialogue and cooperation are vital tools for resolving crises. “Ending war is the urgent duty of every political leader before God. Peace must be the priority of every policy. God will hold accountable those who have not sought peace or who have incited tensions and conflicts,” he warned.
Concluding his address, Pope Leo XIV declared: “This is the appeal we, religious leaders, make from our hearts to all those in power. We are the echo of humanity’s longing for peace. We speak for those who are unheard and voiceless. We must dare to seek peace! And if the world turns a deaf ear, we are certain God will hear the prayers and cries of those who suffer—for God desires a world without war.”
The interfaith prayer at the Colosseum marked the conclusion of the 39th edition of the international meeting “Religions and Cultures in Dialogue,” held under the theme “Dare to Make Peace.”