Pope joins leaders of other faiths at meeting for peace

By CathNews New Zealand

October 31st, 2025

Pope Leo XIV speaks in front of the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum on October 28, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Speaking in front of leaders of different religions, Pope Leo XIV renewed the Church’s call for reconciliation, dialogue and fraternity. Source: Vatican News.

Pope Leo joined religious leaders outside Rome’s Colosseum on October 28 for a Meeting for Prayer for Peace. This was at the conclusion of the annual International Meeting for Peace: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue, organised by the Sant’Egidio Community. The Pope took part in an ecumenical prayer service inside the Colosseum as part of the gathering.

“We have prayed for peace according to our diverse religious traditions,” Pope Leo said outside the Colosseum and in front of the Arch of Constantine, a monument to an ancient war, “and we are now gathered together to proclaim a message of reconciliation. Conflicts are present in all parts of life, but war is no help in dealing with them or finding solutions. Peace is a constant journey of reconciliation.”

Echoing the urgent need for unity in a world torn by war and displacement, the Pope decried “the abuse of power, displays of force and indifference to the rule of law”, and called for “a true and sound era of reconciliation”.

“Enough of war,” he said, “with all the pain it causes through death, destruction and exile! Gathered here today, we express not only our firm desire for peace, but also our conviction that prayer is a powerful force for reconciliation.”

Pope Leo warned against the misuse of religion, saying that “those who practise religion without prayer run the risk of misusing it, even to the point of killing”.

Marking nearly four decades since St John Paul II’s historic 1986 interreligious meeting in Assisi, Pope Leo recalled that the “spirit of Assisi” continues to inspire dialogue and friendship among believers.

The Pope also noted that the gathering coincided with the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on the relationship of the Church to non-Christian religions.

FULL STORY

Pope Leo XIV: ‘Peace is holy, not war’ (Vatican News)

Political leaders have duty before God to end war, pope says (Catholic News Service)

Pope: Interreligious dialogue is ‘way of life’ for church (Catholic News Service)