Pope Leo XIV called on governments worldwide this Friday to commit themselves to building harmonious and peaceful civil societies, emphasizing that this goal depends on strengthening the family, understood as the stable union between a man and a woman. He expressed this during his speech before the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.
Addressing representatives from the 184 countries with which the Holy See maintains diplomatic relations, the American pontiff stressed the Church’s responsibility in this “changing era” marked by imbalances and inequalities that generate undignified working conditions and increasingly fragmented and conflictive societies.
Leo XIV highlighted the urgency of addressing global inequalities that deepen the divides between continents, nations, and even within communities themselves. In this context, he urged political leaders to “commit themselves to building harmonious and peaceful societies,” pointing out that this task begins with investing in the family, “the smallest society, but also the oldest and truest.”
Furthermore, the pope insisted on the need to protect human dignity, especially for the most vulnerable: “from the unborn child to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, whether citizens or immigrants.”
In his first official meeting with diplomats, Leo XIV also advocated for a renewed push for multilateral diplomacy and international institutions designed to resolve conflicts within the global community.
To conclude, he recalled Pope Francis’s recent call on Easter Sunday to abandon the arms race. “It is a time for conversion and renewal, an opportunity to leave behind disputes and open a new path, guided by the hope of building together, each according to their responsibility, a world where we can all realize our humanity in truth, justice, and peace,” the pontiff concluded.
