War can never be waged in the name of God. There is no such thing as a just war.

Pope Leo XIV made this statement in a video message delivered on the occasion of the interreligious peace gathering “An Unarmed and Disarming Peace” in Assisi, according to Vatican News.

The Pope noted that “globalisation has not automatically brought about unity and peace. On the contrary, it has provoked a backlash rooted in fundamentalism, a distorted understanding of identity and nationalism.”

Against this backdrop, there has been a “rehabilitation of war as an instrument of international politics” and a “betrayal of the memory of the 20th century and the senseless destruction of millions of human lives.”

As the Pope emphasised, the spirit of Assisi means “rejecting the religious legitimisation of war. It is a spirit of mediation and dialogue, contemplative experience and creative action for a peaceful future.”

“Everywhere, we must build peace, not prepare for new wars! War can never be waged in the name of God! For us as believers, to wage war in the name of religion is, in fact, to wage war against religion itself. There is no such thing as a just war. Peace alone is sacred!” Leo XIV stressed.