The Vatican confirmed Pope Leo XIV's travel schedule to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, planned for November 6th to 17th. This trip will take place after he underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor located in his right lung.
During a message sent to a forum gathering representatives of the world's major religions, held in the Italian city of Assisi, Pope Leo XIV declared that no war possesses a sacred character. He emphasized the need to rebuild global peace, warning that conflict should never be waged in God's name.
Due to the recent operation against lung cancer, doctors advised against using a helicopter for travel to Assisi, located north of Rome, in central Italy.
The forum, titled 'Disarmed and Disarming Peace,' was organized by the Community of Saint Aegidius to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the prayer for peace promoted by John Paul II in Assisi. The conference included dozens of religious leaders from various faiths, including Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Orthodox Christians, Lutherans, and Shintoists, as well as experts in fields such as geopolitics, history, sociology, and politics.
The pontiff argued that it is crucial to promote the rejection of the religious justification for war, especially in the context of a 'culture of power.' He suggested that religions should encourage a 'spirit of mediation and dialogue, a contemplative experience, and creative action for a future of peace' on a global scale.
According to the Spanish agency EFE, the Pope stressed that peace must return to the status of a common ideal for humanity, serving as a guide for all decisions, a criterion for identifying injustice, and a shared horizon for everyone.
In this regard, he referred to the encyclical 'Magnifica humanitas (Magnificent Humanity),' published in May, which addresses the protection of the human person in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Through it, the Pope denounced the 'worrying rehabilitation of war as an instrument of international policy,' a phenomenon that, in the view of the leader of the Catholic Church, 'betrays the memory of the 20th century and the useless slaughter of millions of human lives.'
Additionally, the Pope encouraged the 'common search for peace' and recommended the practice of prayer, describing it as 'the humble strength of believers.' He concluded with a plea to God, the giver of peace, that it may reach the hearts of those who promote war and terrorism, reminding that prayer is never in vain.