Pope Leo XIV: 'The wounds of war extend beyond the battlefield'
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"In place of the weapons of war, the God of peace grants us the strength to heal, to reconcile and to build a civilization of love."
Pope Leo said this in his Message for the 11th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, published on Thursday by the Holy See Press Office.
READ POPE LEO XIV'S FULL MESSAGE
The Church observes the World Day on September 1st with this year's theme being, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4).
In this way, the Holy Father insisted, we are called to safeguard the many “ecosystems” entrusted to us: the ecosystems of creation, of human relationships and of the human heart itself.
"The true tools for building peace," Pope Leo underscored, "are not weapons of destruction; instead, they are truth, dialogue, patience, goodness, justice, mercy, understanding, care and love," which he said flow from hearts shaped by the Gospel and sustained by God’s grace.
Healing wounds of our world
Only these qualities, he acknowledged, possess the power to transform individuals, renew communities and heal the wounds of our world.
The Holy Father confirmed that the path before us is not easy, but is clear.
"We are called," he said, "to allow our hearts to be renewed, so that we might seek peace and care for creation."
Called to collaborate with God to combat crises and suffering
In the message, the Holy Father observed that if we take up this task with humility and faith, we will become collaborators in God’s work of renewal.
He lamented that today we are witnessing many crises and much human suffering. At the same time, he noted that it seems the disruption to the harmonious balance of creation is accelerating.
"These phenomena," he went on to point out, "are not unrelated; they are a single plea for healing and peace arising from a wounded world."
Jesus' unique offering of peace
"The God of life, revealed in Jesus Christ," Pope Leo reassured, "offers a peace that the world cannot give: 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you' (Jn 14:27)."
This peace, the Pope said, is "neither superficial nor fleeting," but "flows from the enduring love of Christ and his care for every human person."
Yet, he recalled that this promise of peace stands in stark contrast to the realities we see in many parts of the world.
He observed that numerous efforts continue to be directed toward violence and war.
Destruction that endures for generations
"War," he lamented, "leaves wounds that extend far beyond the battlefield," "claims lives, tears families apart and forces millions to flee their homes, thereby deepening fear, injustice and division," and "leaves behind social and ecological destruction that endures for generations."
Moreover, the interaction between armed conflicts and environmental degradation, the Pope said, often creates a vicious cycle, which destroys ecosystems, contaminates essential resources, such as air and water, and undermines food security.
He acknowledged how this reality fuels poverty, inequality, and new social tensions that can contribute to the emergence of further conflicts.
War creates damaging wounds
"What is more," he said, "war creates wounds that damage the whole fabric of life, harming not only individual persons and communities, but also their broader network of relationships with the whole human family, and their harmony with creation," and "reveals a deeper failure to live in God’s image and likeness, to respect life and to care for the earth entrusted to us."
The Holy Father called this not only a political failure, but also a moral and spiritual one.
"Rooted in distorted desires and the misuse of human freedom and power," he said, "war stands as a counter-witness to the Gospel of peace."
The above-mentioned crises, he appealed, call not only for responsibility but also for a conversion of heart that will bear fruit in a deeper fidelity to God, love of one another and respect for the gift of creation.
Renewal of hearts required
Pope Leo suggested that the wounds of war and the degradation of the earth, then, are profoundly linked to the condition of the human heart.
"In order to build a peaceful society," he exhorted, "there is the need not only to reform structures but also to renew our hearts."
He decried that "the deep-set causes of conflict and the exploitation of creation stem from an ethical and cultural crisis, including the loss of a sense of limits, the desire for domination, the pursuit of immediate profit, and the inability to recognize the God-given dignity of each human person."
Accordingly, he said it requires, through cooperating with God’s grace, a deeper personal and collective conversion — a returning to God, who will reorder our desires, heal our wounds and help us grow in virtue.
"Without this inner transformation," he underscored, "peace will remain fragile and short-lived. But where hearts are renewed, new possibilities begin to open."
The path of authentic ecological conversion
"What has been used for destruction," he reflected, "can be redirected toward life, toward the care of the poor, the nourishment of the hungry, and the safeguarding of creation."
With this as the path of authentic ecological conversion, "where the effects of our encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in our relationship with the world around us," he said peace begins in the heart and flows outward to our relationships, communities and the broader world.
Despite the "enormous" challenges, Pope Leo reassured that God does not leave us without the means of healing and transformation.
Finally, he prayed, "May the Lord grant us the courage to walk along this path, so that in our time, swords may indeed be beaten into plowshares, and the promise of the Gospel may take deeper root in our world, and the peace of Christ may reign over all of creation."
