This Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV forcefully reiterated two of the pillars of his pontificate: the pursuit of peace and the commitment to Christian unity. During the general audience held in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father issued a pressing appeal for an end to the violence in Gaza and expressed his sorrow for the recent attack on a local parish. At the same event, he emphasized the value of ecumenism, referring to the meeting he held a few days earlier with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, head of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.

“War is a defeat for everyone,” the Pope firmly stated, referring to the attack on the Latin parish of the Holy Family in Gaza. This place has offered refuge, solace, and hope to many people during the conflict. Leo XIV recalled that too many innocent people have already lost their lives and called on all leaders involved to make a serious effort toward dialogue and reconciliation. “I ask that the lives of civilians and places of worship be respected, and that access be allowed for humanitarian aid,” he said gravely.

Then, in a deeply symbolic gesture, the Pontiff returned to his recent meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew I, held in the context of the historic relationship between Rome and Constantinople. “From Rome to the new Rome,” he said, evoking the name the Orthodox give to the Byzantine capital. Leo XIV insisted that the path of ecumenism is not optional, but an urgent duty. “We have taken a further step toward that visible unity so desired by Christ,” he explained, expressing his gratitude for the fraternity and prayer shared with the Patriarch.

The Pope concluded his message by recalling that peace among nations and unity among Christians are not separate causes, but rather parts of a single witness: that of a humanity reconciled through love. “Only united will we be credible,” he declared, encouraging the faithful to be sowers of peace and builders of bridges, wherever they may be.