Pope Leo calls for peace in Easter message amid global conflicts

In his first Easter address as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV used the moment to deliver a clear appeal: step back from war and return to dialogue.

Speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to thousands gathered below, Leo framed his message around a simple but pointed contrast — power versus restraint, force versus conversation.

“Let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil.”

He sharpened that call further, directing it at those making decisions about war.

“Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!”

The message lands in a moment shaped by ongoing conflict, particularly in the Middle East, where global tensions continue to escalate. Leo has already suggested he hopes political leaders, including US President Donald Trump, can find a way to step back from further escalation.

At the same time, his address leaned on a broader diagnosis of the current moment. Echoing language associated with Pope Francis, he warned that societies risk becoming numb to violence — accepting it as routine rather than resisting it.

For Leo, Easter serves as a counterpoint to that trend. He described its meaning as “entirely nonviolent”, framing it as a reminder that renewal does not come through force.

Earlier in the day, in his homily, he expanded on that idea, linking war to wider forms of suffering — inequality, environmental damage and systemic injustice — while insisting that even in those conditions, change remains possible.

“Often it seems that God does not exist: all around us we see persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty. But it is also true that in the midst of darkness something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit,” he said.

The Vatican setting reinforced the symbolism. St. Peter’s Square, filled with spring flowers and pilgrims, provided a backdrop of continuity, even as the message itself addressed a fractured world.

Leo also announced a prayer vigil for peace later in April, recalling a similar gathering organised by Pope Francis during the Syrian conflict more than a decade ago.