Pope Leo XIV urges Europe to use dialogue and Christian roots against war

Pope Leo XIV on Monday urged Europe to draw on its Christian roots and tradition of dialogue to counter the “desire for domination” that he said drives today’s wars, as he wrapped up a four-day visit to France. Ending his trip in Metz, the American pope invoked the legacy of Robert Schuman, one of the founding figures of European unity after World War II, to press his appeal for peace, negotiation and international law.

At an event with French President Emmanuel Macron, Leo said Europe had shown over the past 80 years that differences could be addressed through dialogue rather than conflict. Macron, in turn, pledged “unfailing” European support for Ukraine and said the country aspired to join the EU and a “space of peace, security, democracy and prosperity”.

Leo travelled to the eastern French city near the borders with Luxembourg and Germany to honour Schuman, a French Catholic statesman regarded as one of the founding fathers of European unity. The pope chose to end his visit at a conference centre named after Schuman to underline his appeal that Europe draw from its Christian foundations and traditions in responding to Russia’s war in Ukraine and other conflicts.

“Over the past 80 years, Europe has amply demonstrated that it is possible to articulate divergent opinions, claims and interests through encounter rather than conflict,” Leo said. “We need to commit ourselves to patient dialogue, to show courage in negotiation and to be willing to give up some positions for the greater good of peace,” he said.

The Elysee Palace had invited all European Union heads of state and the heads of European institutions to attend the conference, but only a handful were present, including leaders from smaller states such as Monaco, Andorra and Luxembourg, alongside Macron. Joining Leo on stage, Macron said, “War has come back to our continent and our Europe is rocked by the return of empires.” He added: “To guarantee real sovereignty, we must therefore act, act firstly to preserve our security and our values.”

Leo’s visit to officially secular but once staunchly Catholic France was marked by repeated appeals for Europe to remember its Christian heritage and apply it to today’s ethical and geopolitical challenges. It also drew huge crowds, with 800,000 people attending his Mass at Place de la Concorde in Paris, surprising even organisers. On Monday morning, his Air France charter was escorted by two French fighter jets on the flight from Lourdes to Metz in a sign of respect. Macron posted a photo of the plane taken from one of the jets and wrote, “Welcome to Metz, Holy Father.”

In his final event in France, Leo celebrated Mass at the cathedral of St Stephen in Metz, a city with a long history of conflict that was part of Nazi Germany during the war. The cathedral, known for its soaring Gothic vaults and stained-glass windows, including some designed by Marc Chagall, has the nickname “Lanterne du Bon Dieu” or “The Good Lord’s Lantern”. As they had done during Saturday’s Mass in Paris, priests in Metz set up makeshift confession stands on the streets for the faithful gathered in the squares around the cathedral.

Schuman is best known for the 1950 Schuman Declaration, proposed five years after World War II, which called for a European Coal and Steel Community that would pool production between historic rivals France and Germany. The idea was that shared economic interests would make another conflict between them “not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible”. That body became the first in a line of European institutions that later led to the European Union. Schuman, a resistance fighter who was imprisoned by the Nazis, was declared “venerable” in 2021, a step in the Catholic Church’s process towards possible sainthood.

Leo especially praised Schuman’s respect for international law in pursuing peaceful integration. His remarks were an indirect reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as US military incursions in Venezuela and the Iran war, which have taken place outside the international legal order. Leo said international law and multilateralism “constitute the best antidote to the desire for domination, which lies at the root of every conflict”. He also lamented that relations between states were becoming “increasingly uncivilised”, adding, “The value of keeping one’s word is dismissed; instead, people boast of lies and deceit.”

In a separate meeting on Monday, Leo urged French religious leaders to preach peace and unity. Citing Schuman’s example of promoting dialogue even among rivals, he said faith leaders shared a responsibility to build friendships across borders in the name of peace. “Indeed, to invoke God’s name in order to justify violence or oppression is to profane that name,” he said. “Religious discourse must constantly call for the disarmament of hearts and words.” With that appeal in Metz, Leo closed his France visit by linking Europe’s post-war ideals of dialogue and integration with his call for peace in today’s conflicts.

With PTI Inputs

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