Luxembourg: Pope Leo XIV has said that Catholic Social Teaching offers a clear path for societies to live together in peace and mutual respect, especially at a time when shared values are being questioned across the world.
Pope made these remarks in a message sent to the 2026 European Conference of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, which is being held in Luxembourg. The message was signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
The conference is focused on the theme “Peace building in Europe: what role for Catholic social thought and universal values?” Pope Leo said this theme is very important today because many societies hesitate to accept universal values proposed by religion and to recognize their role in the common good.
He explained that this resistance often comes from the spread of relativism and from seeing truth as just a matter of personal opinion. According to Pope, no continent or community can truly live in peace or prosper without shared truths that shape its values and rules.
Pope Leo also recalled that every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. He referred to the teaching of Saint John Paul II in the encyclical Centesimus Annus, which says that real progress is impossible without respect for the basic human right to know the truth and live according to it.
The Church’s social teaching goes beyond borders and helps people find common ground and shared ways of living, making peaceful coexistence possible.
In his concluding message, Pope Leo expressed hope that the Luxembourg conference will help remind Europe of its deep Christian roots and strengthen the role of Catholic values in building a more peaceful and just continent.