Addressing the Diplomatic Corps to the Holy See on Friday, Pope Leo XIV warned against viewing “peace” as a “negative” word, which only means an absence of war and conflict.

He said using it negatively means “opposition is a perennial part of human nature, frequently leading us to live in a constant ‘state of conflict’ at home, at work and in society.”

“Peace then appears simply as a respite, a pause between one dispute and another, given that, no matter how hard we try, tensions will always be present, a little like embers burning beneath the ashes, ready to ignite at any moment,” the pope said.

Leo said from a Christian perspective – but also in other religious traditions – “peace is first and foremost a gift.”

“Yet it is an active and demanding gift. It engages and challenges each of us, regardless of our cultural background or religious affiliation, demanding first of all that we work on ourselves. Peace is built in the heart and from the heart, by eliminating pride and vindictiveness and carefully choosing our words. For words too, not only weapons, can wound and even kill,” he explained.

The pontiff said he believes that religions and interreligious dialogue can make a fundamental contribution to fostering a climate of peace.

“This naturally requires full respect for religious freedom in every country, since religious experience is an essential dimension of the human person. Without it, it is difficult, if not impossible, to bring about the purification of the heart necessary for building peaceful relationships,” Leo said.

The pontiff said working for peace requires acting justly, bringing up the fact he chose his name after Leo XIII, the pope of the first great social Encyclical, Rerum Novarum.

“In this time of epochal change, the Holy See cannot fail to make its voice heard in the face of the many imbalances and injustices that lead, not least, to unworthy working conditions and increasingly fragmented and conflict-ridden societies. Every effort should be made to overcome the global inequalities – between opulence and destitution – that are carving deep divides between continents, countries and even within individual societies,” he told the diplomats.

Pope Leo then spoke about the word truth.

“Truly peaceful relationships cannot be built, also within the international community, apart from truth. Where words take on ambiguous and ambivalent connotations, and the virtual world, with its altered perception of reality, takes over unchecked, it is difficult to build authentic relationships, since the objective and real premises of communication are lacking,” he said.

“For her part, the Church can never be exempted from speaking the truth about humanity and the world, resorting whenever necessary to blunt language that may initially create misunderstanding. Yet truth can never be separated from charity, which always has at its root a concern for the life and well-being of every man and woman,” the pontiff continued.

“Furthermore, from the Christian perspective, truth is not the affirmation of abstract and disembodied principles, but an encounter with the person of Christ himself, alive in the midst of the community of believers,” he said.

Leo said truth does not create division but enables the people of the world to confront all the more resolutely the challenges of our time, mentioning migration, the ethical use of artificial intelligence and the protection of the planet Earth.

“These are challenges that require commitment and cooperation on the part of all, since no one can think of facing them alone,” the pontiff said.

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