Pope Leo laments amount of money "that ends up in pockets of merchants of death"

Pope blesses ROACO meeting

Source: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Aid Agencies for Oriental Churches, (ROACO) today, Thursday 26 June, and encouraged Eastern-rite Catholics to bear witness to Christ's peace amid the destruction wrought by conflict.

In his address, to ROACO members, and their annual meeting in Rome, the Pope praised their efforts to provide material and spiritual support for the faithful of Eastern-rite Catholic Churches, calling the organization's mission "a proclamation of joy."

He thanked the charitable organizations and their benefactors for sowing "sowing seeds of hope in the lands of the Christian East," which he lamented have been devastated in recent years by wars and a "cloud of hatred."

"For many people, poor in means but rich in faith, you are a light that shines amid the dark shadows of hatred," he said.

Pope Leo noted that oppression and misunderstanding have arisen historically even within the Catholic community, which at times has failed to appreciate the value of Eastern Christian traditions.

He expressed his desire for the Eastern rites to be better known within the Catholic Church, suggesting courses be held in seminaries and Catholic universities to inform Latin-rite Catholics about our Eastern brothers and sisters.

"There is also a need for encounter and the sharing of pastoral activity," he said, "since Eastern Catholics today are no longer our distant cousins who celebrate unfamiliar rites, but our brothers and sisters who, due to forced migration, are our next-door neighbours."

The Pope highlighted Eastern Christians' "sense of the sacred, their deep faith confirmed by suffering, and their spirituality, redolent of the divine mysteries".

Pope Leo went on to recall the violence ravaging the Christian East with "diabolical intensity previously unknown," noting that some ROACO members were unable to come to Rome for the annual meeting due to the conflict in the Middle East.

"Our hearts bleed when we think of Ukraine, the tragic and inhumane situation in Gaza, and the Middle East, ravaged by the spread of war," he said.

Every individual, added the Pope, must examine the causes of these conflicts and seek to resolve them, while rejecting explanations that are manipulative or false. "It is truly distressing to see the principle of 'might makes right' prevailing in so many situations today, all for the sake of legitimizing the pursuit of self-interest," he said.

The Pope mourned the deaths and suffering caused by war and terrorism, and mentioned the recent suicide bombing on the Mar Elias Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria.

Pope Leo XIV said humanity cannot hope to lay a solid foundation for the future on the basis of acts of war.

Only through cooperation and a global vision inspired by the common good, he said, can nations set out on a path to lasting peace.

"People are beginning to realize the amount of money that ends up in the pockets of merchants of death," he said. "Money that could be used to build new hospitals and schools is instead being used to destroy those that already exist!"

Finally, Pope Leo praised the witness of the Christian East, saying our call is to "remain faithful to Jesus, without allowing ourselves to end up in the clutches of power."

"Let us follow Christ, who freed hearts from hatred, and show by our example how to break free of the mindset of division and revenge."