Bratislava: In a world increasingly overshadowed by war, polarization, and deep social fractures, rebuilding trust is no longer optional but essential for peace, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said while celebrating Mass in Slovakia’s capital on Sunday.
Presiding at a solemn liturgy in St. Martin’s Cathedral to mark the 25th anniversary of the Fundamental Treaty between the Holy See and the Slovak Republic, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations urged believers and institutions alike to keep open every path that leads to reconciliation and peace.
“Our world is darkened by wars and conflicts, by polarization and profound divisions,” Archbishop Gallagher said in his homily. “In such a climate, hope can appear distant, even fragile. Yet it can only be sustained if each of us takes responsibility for rebuilding trust where it has been wounded, persevering in dialogue when it is slow and demanding, and refusing to close the roads that lead to peace.”
Reflecting on the Gospel reading from the Sermon on the Mount, Archbishop Gallagher highlighted how Jesus introduced a radically different way of understanding life and human success. Before issuing commands or expectations, Christ proclaims blessings, directing His gaze toward “the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, and those who hunger for justice.”
This reversal of values, the Archbishop explained, challenges a world that measures worth through power, recognition, and security. Instead, Christ proposes a way of life grounded in trust rather than domination, communion rather than self-assertion, and hope rooted in God rather than fear.
“The Beatitudes are not an unrealistic ideal or a poetic dream detached from real life,” he said. “They describe how grace moves through history, how God acts precisely where human self-sufficiency reaches its limits.”
Drawing a parallel between the Gospel message and international relations, Archbishop Gallagher stressed that agreements and treaties should serve as bridges to heal divisions, not as walls erected to protect narrow interests.
He noted that true Christian belonging means allowing the logic of the Beatitudes to shape personal and collective life, transforming humility into freedom, mercy into strength, and perseverance into a quiet but powerful witness of hope.
Hope, Archbishop Gallagher reminded the congregation, is not merely an emotion but a vocation that must be actively lived. Recalling Pope Leo XIV’s first Message for the World Day of Peace, he emphasized the Holy Father’s call to encourage every spiritual, cultural, and political initiative that keeps hope alive in difficult times.
Slovakia’s own history, he said, stands as a testimony to such persevering hope. The country’s Christian faith was not formed through ease or privilege but through patient evangelization, steadfast fidelity, and quiet endurance. Saints Cyril and Methodius, along with Saint Gorazd, embodied this path by shaping language and culture through the Word rather than relying on force, opening hearts to the Gospel through dialogue and perseverance.
The Archbishop observed that the relationship between the Holy See and Slovakia reflects the same spirit of trust inspired by the Beatitudes. The Fundamental Treaty signed 25 years ago, he said, emerged from dialogue and mutual respect, aiming to serve the human person in all the complexity of modern life.
By respecting the distinction between spiritual and temporal spheres while promoting cooperation for the common good, the agreement protects freedom of conscience, supports families and communities, and allows religious liberty to enrich the moral and cultural fabric of society.
“This framework,” he said, “offers a space where human dignity is upheld, dialogue can flourish, and hope rooted in faith, charity, and justice can grow quietly but steadily.”
Concluding his homily, Archbishop Gallagher returned to the message of the Beatitudes, stressing that peace is not achieved through negotiations alone but must be formed and lived daily. It grows in hearts shaped by mercy, in communities committed to justice, and in institutions that choose dialogue over exclusion.
He ended with a prayer for all peoples suffering under the weight of violence and war, making particular mention of Ukraine, and asked that the Holy Spirit may form men and women capable of being true artisans of peace able to sustain hope even when it appears fragile in a wounded world.