By Francesca Sabatinelli

War must be rejected as a “means of resolving conflicts.” That was the urgent appeal issued by Pope Leo XIV to the international community and its leaders, delivered following the Sunday Angelus prayer. The Pope called on leaders to take responsibility and work actively toward peace, a goal he urged the faithful never to stop praying for.

“Let us continue to pray for an end to all wars,” the Pope said. The 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he noted, has stirred a global awakening to the need to firmly reject war as a solution to conflict. “Those in positions of power must never lose sight of the consequences their decisions have on people’s lives,” he said. “They must not ignore the needs of the most vulnerable or the universal longing for peace.”

Armenia and Azerbaijan: A Path to Peace

Pope Leo then pointed to the agreement signed on August 8th by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as a sign of hope. Their joint declaration, he said, is a significant step forward and one that “we all hope will contribute to a stable and lasting peace in the South Caucasus.”

Grief for Haiti

The Pope also turned his attention to the ongoing crisis in Haiti, expressing deep sorrow over the suffering of a population “increasingly overwhelmed by despair.” He condemned the country’s widespread “violence of all kinds, human trafficking, forced displacement, and kidnappings.”

“I make a heartfelt appeal to all responsible parties to release the hostages immediately,” the Pope said. He also called on the international community to provide tangible support to help create the social and institutional conditions “that will allow the Haitian people to live in peace.”