Pope Leo: War must be rejected as a 'means of resolving conflicts'

Ghazanchetsots Armenian Cathedral, Shusha Photo by Robert Levonyan on Unsplash

Source: Vatican Media,

During the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo made a heartfelt appeal to international decision-makers to take responsibility for seeking solutions to conflicts. He expresses satisfaction over the new peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also deep sorrow for the violence that continues to devastate Haiti.

The Pope called on leaders to take responsibility and work actively toward peace, a goal he urged the faithful never to stop praying for.

"Let us continue to pray for an end to all wars," the Pope said. The 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he noted, has stirred a global awakening to the need to firmly reject war as a solution to conflict. "Those in positions of power must never lose sight of the consequences their decisions have on people's lives," he said. "They must not ignore the needs of the most vulnerable or the universal longing for peace."

Pope Leo then pointed to the agreement signed on August 8th by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as a sign of hope. Their joint declaration, he said, is a significant step forward and one that "we all hope will contribute to a stable and lasting peace in the South Caucasus."

The Pope also spoke about the ongoing crisis in Haiti, expressing deep sorrow over the suffering of a population "increasingly overwhelmed by despair." He condemned the country's widespread "violence of all kinds, human trafficking, forced displacement, and kidnappings."

"I make a heartfelt appeal to all responsible parties to release the hostages immediately," the Pope said. He called on the international community to provide tangible support to help create the social and institutional conditions "that will allow the Haitian people to live in peace."

Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace deal at the White House on Friday, that aims to end decades of armed conflict that killed tens of thousands, and led to the expulsion of more than 100,000 Armenians from the disputed territory of Karabakh.