Vatican City: In a touching exchange featured in the July edition of Piazza San Pietro, a magazine dedicated this month to the Jubilee of Youth, Pope Leo XIV responded to an impassioned letter from Zaira, a young mother of three, who appealed to the Pope on behalf of her children's future and their right to live in peace.
Zaira’s heartfelt letter voiced the growing anxiety felt by many parents in today’s volatile world. Reflecting on global tensions, she posed sobering questions: “What will become of our children's dreams if another world war breaks out? What happens to the hopes and sacrifices of parents who buy homes, send their children to school, and save for a tomorrow that may never come?” Her words echoed the fear that a single act of aggression from a power-hungry leader could shatter countless lives. “Peace is not a luxury,” she wrote. “It is a fundamental right. Why have we forgotten that?”
Pope Leo, moved by her powerful message, called Zaira’s letter “a cry that pierces the heavens—a voice that reaches the very heart of God.” Acknowledging the uncertainty and despair many feel, he emphasized that God does not abandon humanity in moments of fear and confusion. Rather, God walks alongside us, even in the darkest of hours.
However, the Pope was firm in his call to action. “We are not meant to remain passive,” he wrote. “God’s love stirs us to act for goodness, for justice, and for the unity of the human family.”
Pope Leo reflected on his first meeting with the Diplomatic Corps at the Vatican, where he defined peace as more than just the absence of war. “Peace, as understood by Christianity and many other faiths, is first and foremost a divine gift,” he said. “But it is also a task a challenge entrusted to each of us.”
True peace, the Pope explained, must begin in the heart. It requires uprooting bitterness and pride, choosing compassion over resentment, and using our words carefully. “Words, too, can destroy sometimes more deeply than weapons,” he warned.
Responding to Zaira’s poignant question, the Pope admitted that in today’s fractured world, it may sometimes seem as if peace is slipping away. But this is precisely why, he said, “we need a purification of the heart,” and a conscious effort to build bridges through dialogue and mutual respect.
Pope Leo called for a revival of both prayer and dialogue, urging individuals, families, and communities to dedicate time daily to pray for peace. “Let us build a culture of encounter, not one of division. Let us limit the unchecked hunger for power, as my predecessor Pope Francis so often reminded us.”
Concluding his letter, Pope Leo offered a message of reassurance and hope. War, he insisted, will not have the final say. “Children deserve a future built on authentic, lasting peace one rooted in justice and shared humanity.”
Though the road ahead may seem steep, Pope Leo reminded readers that real change is possible through “small but steadfast steps.” His message stands as a clarion call to the global community: to safeguard the dreams of the next generation by making peace not just a goal but a shared responsibility.