VATICAN/ANGELUS - Leo XIV's dismay at the wars tearing the world apart: "We cannot remain silent"

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The death and pain caused by these wars fueled in the Middle East and throughout the world "is a scandal for the entire human family and a cry that rises to God." And "We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many defenseless people who are victims of these conflicts," because "what hurts them hurts all of humanity." Pope Leo XIV reiterated this today, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, turning his gaze to the tragedies tearing the world apart after reciting the Marian prayer of the Angelus from the window of his study in the Apostolic Palace.
The Bishop of Rome said: "with dismay I continue to follow the situation in the Middle East, which like other regions of the world is torn apart by war and violence," and "strongly renew my appeal to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and paths to peace may finally open up, based on sincere dialogue and respect for the dignity of every human person." He then referred to the Marathon held today in Rome, "with countless athletes from all over the world. This is a sign of hope! May sport pave the way for peace, social inclusion, and spirituality."
In the brief catechesis delivered before the Angelus prayer, Leo XIV drew inspiration from the passage from the Gospel of John read during the day's liturgy, which recounts the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus.
A sign," the Pontiff emphasized, "that speaks of Christ’s victory over death and of the gift of eternal life, which we receive through Baptism." Jesus, Pope Prevost continued, "also says to us, as he did to Martha, Lazarus’s sister: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die’.”

The grace of Christ, he added, "illumines this world, which seems to constantly search for novelty and change, even at the cost of sacrificing important things — time, energy, values, affections — as if fame, material goods, entertainment and fleeting relationships could fill our hearts or make us immortal." And this too can be seen as a "symptom of a longing for the infinite that each of us carries within us." However, "nothing finite can quench our inner thirst, for we are made for God, and we find no peace until we rest in him" (cf. Confessions, I, 1.1).
There are "habits, conditioning, and ways of thinking," the Pope acknowledged, "which, like boulders, shut us away in the tomb of selfishness, materialism, violence and superficiality." But as he did with his friend Lazarus, "Jesus also cries out to us: “Come out!” urging us to emerge, renewed by his grace, to walk in the light of love, as new women and men, capable of hoping and loving, without calculation and without measure, according to the model of his infinite charity." (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 22/3/2026)

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