Pope Leo XIV warned today, during the weekly public audience in St. Peter's Square, about the contradictions of a world that promotes war with the justification of "building peace," calling on Catholics to commit to justice. The Pope stated that there is an "inability to renounce selfish consumption and the illusion that war is an effective way to build peace," warning that the future of the planet is at stake.
Leo XIV began a series dedicated to the Pastoral Constitution "Gaudium et spes" of the Second Vatican Council, on the relationship between the Church and the contemporary world. According to the Pope, the conciliar document does not reflect "naive optimism," but rather expresses a "renewed fidelity to the Mystery of Christ," who became incarnate to share the sorrows and hopes of the human condition.
The Pope stated that believers are called to take on the difficulties of their brothers and sisters, especially those crushed by injustice, discrimination, and violence, emphasizing that it is not possible to remain disinterested spectators to events. Leo XIV also pointed to the challenge of serving the human person in the face of "alarming global imbalances," stating that Christian sharing commits one to unmasking the contradictions of the contemporary world.
After the catechesis, the Pope sent greetings to Portuguese-speaking pilgrims from Portugal and Brazil, assuring them that none of their "legitimate aspirations" escape "the attention and pastoral care of the Church."
