by Marco Baratto
The heart of the Church is torn. The cries rising from the places of war — from Ukraine, Iran, Israel, and Gaza — are a sorrow that tears at the soul of the world. We cannot, we must not grow accustomed to war. Every bomb that explodes, every child that dies, every city reduced to rubble, is a failure of human conscience — a failure that concerns us all.
During the general audience, Pope Leo XIV issued a powerful, direct, and unwavering appeal. With a firm voice, he condemned the madness of modern warfare, where scientific progress, instead of serving life, is used to multiply death.
"We must not grow used to war! We must reject, as a temptation, the fascination of powerful and sophisticated weapons," he declared.
He then recalled the words of the Second Vatican Council, which in Gaudium et Spes (n. 79) warns against an increasingly dehumanizing war:
"The use of scientific weapons of all kinds threatens to lead combatants to a barbarity far worse than that of the past."
These are words of dramatic relevance. Today we witness a globalization of conflict: wars multiply, involving entire populations and seeming to have no end. In this context, the voice of the Pope shines like a beacon piercing through the fog of indifference.
He also evoked the wisdom of Pope Pius XII, who in 1939 — with the world on the brink of disaster — had the courage to say:
"Nothing is lost with peace. Everything may be lost with war."
This spiritual and moral legacy is more necessary now than ever. That is why, with respect and devotion, so many faithful and citizens of the world are addressing the Holy Father: do not stop. Go further. Transform these words into a universal message.
Today, as then, a prophetic gesture is needed. Pius XII used radio — then a new medium — to speak to the world and to the powerful of the earth. Today we have far more powerful tools at our disposal: social networks, television, the web, digital platforms. Let us use them. Let the voice of peace reach every corner of the world.
Holy Father, we need a clear, solemn, powerful message addressed to the world's leaders — those who hold political, economic, and military power. A direct appeal, without mediation, that awakens consciences and stirs hearts. A cry that says: "Stop!"
Today, we need the courage of Leo I, the Pope who faced Attila. Not with armies, but with the strength of word and faith alone. That encounter, preserved in the historical and spiritual memory of humanity, reminds us that even in the face of overwhelming threats, a just man can halt the tide of evil.
Today's "Attilas" are different: modern tyrants, warlords, arms traffickers, ideologies of death. But the principle remains unchanged.
We need a new Leo, who dares to stand between the peoples and destruction. Who says to the powerful: "Not in my name. Not in God's name. Not in humanity's name."
And we, the people of God, citizens of the world, must support this voice. We must echo this appeal. Peace is not imposed from above; it is born from below, grows in hearts, and is built through daily gestures. It is difficult — but it is possible. And it is the only path worthy of humanity.
War, on the other hand, is a foretold catastrophe. It destroys lives, economies, and hope. It leaves behind only hatred, vengeance, and moral ruin. That is why we must cry out together, loud and clear: Peace is always possible. War is always a defeat.
We cannot wait for governments alone to act. Today, more than ever, we need an alliance of peoples for peace, involving believers and non-believers, the young and the old, intellectuals and workers, mothers and fathers — an alliance based on one simple truth: life is sacred.
In this critical moment, we pray for Pope Leo XIV. May the Holy Spirit enlighten and sustain him. May his voice not be silenced by the logic of power, but ring out clear, courageous, and prophetic. May he truly be the new Leo, capable of once again stopping the Attilas of our time.
And we invoke Mary, Queen of Peace, that she may accompany us on this difficult but necessary path. And may she give us the strength to believe that peace is not a utopia, but a vocation.
Because, as Pius XII said,
"Nothing is lost with peace. Everything may be lost with war."
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