Vatican City: As the Catholic Church marked the World Day of Peace, Pope Leo XIV issued a powerful appeal for what he described as an “unarmed and disarming peace,” warning that fear-driven militarization and the growing acceptance of war are pushing the world toward deeper instability and moral decline.
In his Message for the 2026 World Day of Peace, released for the January 1 observance, the Pope reflected on a global climate shaped by escalating conflicts, soaring defense spending, and a widespread belief that security can only be achieved through military strength. Rejecting this logic, he reaffirmed the Church’s firm opposition to deterrence rooted in force and called instead for disarmament, dialogue, and an inner conversion of hearts as the only path to lasting peace.
At the heart of the Message is the greeting of the Risen Christ “Peace be with you!” Pope Leo XIV explained that these words are not a polite wish but a force capable of transforming individuals and societies. Christian peace, he wrote, is not passive or sentimental; it is active, challenging, and disruptive precisely because it refuses to justify violence.
The Pope stressed that peace grounded in the Gospel does not rely on weapons or coercion but on moral clarity, courage, and the willingness to engage in dialogue even amid hostility.
A recurring theme in the Message is fear, which the Pope described as the currency that fuels modern warfare. When peace is no longer experienced as a lived reality, he warned, societies begin to accept war as unavoidable and even rational.
Criticising military deterrence particularly nuclear deterrence Pope Leo XIV said it is built on irrational assumptions about international relations. Rather than law, justice, and trust, it relies on intimidation and domination. Far from guaranteeing security, such an approach entrenches anxiety and instability.
Quoting Saint John XXIII, the Pope recalled that humanity continues to live under the shadow of catastrophic weapons capable of annihilation, with the constant risk that war could erupt through accident or miscalculation. He pointed to the stark reality of global military spending, which rose by 9.4 percent in 2024 to reach an estimated $2.7 trillion, lamenting that vast resources are being devoted to instruments of death instead of human development.
Pope Leo XIV expressed deep concern over a cultural shift in which preparation for war is considered prudent, while disarmament is dismissed as naïve or unrealistic. When peace is not actively cultivated and protected, he wrote, aggression begins to seep into political discourse, public life, and even private relationships.
This normalization of confrontation, the Pope warned, weakens diplomacy, sidelines international law, and reduces global politics to a struggle for dominance rather than cooperation.
He also addressed the growing role of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence in military operations. Allowing machines to make life-and-death decisions, he said, represents a profound betrayal of humanistic and legal principles, especially when driven by economic interests tied to the arms industry.
Reaffirming the Church’s moral teaching, the Pope underlined that the Gospel inseparably links peace with nonviolence. The peace offered by the risen Christ, he wrote, is fundamentally unarmed. Jesus’ own struggle unfolded within concrete political and social realities, yet without resorting to violence.
Recalling Jesus’ command to his disciples to put away the sword, Pope Leo XIV acknowledged that Christians themselves have not always been faithful to this calling. He urged believers to confront past complicity in violence and to embrace a renewed prophetic witness for peace.
In a world that equates power with domination, the Pope noted, true goodness appears “disarming.” Reflecting on the mystery of the Incarnation, he suggested that God’s choice to come into the world as a defenseless child in Bethlehem reveals a radically different understanding of strength.
Drawing again on the teachings of Saint John XXIII, Pope Leo XIV insisted that genuine disarmament cannot be limited to weapons alone. Unless it reaches “people’s very souls,” he said, the arms race will never truly end.
Fear, he argued, must be confronted at its deepest level through the renewal of minds and hearts. Authentic peace cannot be built on a balance of armaments but only on mutual trust. Without this interior transformation, external agreements remain fragile and temporary.
The Pope also addressed the responsibility of religions, warning against any attempt to use faith to legitimise violence or war. Instead, religious communities must become true “houses of peace,” where dialogue, justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation prevail.
Turning to public authorities, Pope Leo XIV called for a renewed commitment to diplomacy, mediation, and international law. He lamented the erosion of arms-control treaties and the weakening of international institutions designed to prevent conflict.
Peace, he insisted, is not an unrealistic dream but a deliberate choice personal, social, and political. Echoing Pope Francis, he cautioned against narratives that portray violence as inevitable, describing them as instruments of control that strip humanity of hope and responsibility.
The Message concludes on a note of hope, drawing on the biblical image of swords transformed into ploughshares. In the context of the Jubilee of Hope, Pope Leo XIV invited humanity to embark on a journey of “disarmament of heart, mind, and life.”
Peace, he wrote, is already present and seeks a home within every person. The task before humanity is not to manufacture peace through power, but to welcome it and to allow it to disarm fear, hostility, and the impulse toward violence.
“Peace exists,” the Pope affirmed. “It wants to dwell within us. Our task is not to create it, but to receive it and to let it disarm us.”