Pope Leo XIV delivered one of his strongest pleas for peace yet during a global prayer vigil April 11, declaring “Enough of war!” and urging leaders to abandon rearmament for dialogue.
As Zeale News reported, the Holy Father called on the faithful worldwide to join him in prayer for peace, presiding over a vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica that coincided with the start of U.S.-Iran negotiations. Catholics around the world gathered locally or participated on their own at the same hour to create a global moment of prayer.
>> Pope Leo calls worldwide prayer vigil for peace during Iran negotiations <<
The Holy Father has consistently spoken out against war since the conflict began. Across multiple Angelus addresses, Holy Week messages, and public remarks, he has called for a ceasefire, condemned attacks on civilians, and warned against using religion to justify conflict as President Donald Trump and U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth continue to invoke God in connection with the war. Pope Leo also criticized Trump’s April 7 threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization,” — calling the President’s statement “truly unacceptable.”
‘Enough of war!’
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!” Pope Leo told those gathered at the vigil. “True strength is shown in serving life.”
The refrain quickly became the defining line of the event, later amplified on his @Pontifex account on X and widely shared across platforms.
Those who pray are aware of their own limitations; they do not kill or threaten with death. Instead, death enslaves those who have turned their backs on the living God, turning themselves and their own power into a mute, blind and deaf idol (Ps 115:4–8), to which they sacrifice…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) April 11, 2026
Direct appeal to world leaders
Turning directly to political leaders, the Pope spoke about the certain “binding responsibilities” that fall on their shoulders.
“To them we cry out: Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided!”
He warned of a dangerous “delusion of omnipotence” surrounding those in power, one that is “becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”
He contrasted leaders who pray, whom he said “are aware of their own limitations,” with those who turn away from this awareness and justify violence.
"Brothers and sisters, those who pray are aware of their own limitations; they do not kill or threaten with death,” he said. “Instead, death enslaves those who have turned their backs on the living God, turning themselves and their own power into a mute, blind and deaf idol, to which they sacrifice every value, demanding that the whole world bend its knee."
He also warned, again, against invoking God’s name “in discourses of death.”
A world turning against itself
The Pope described a global climate in which human relationships are breaking down, replaced by suspicion and hostility.
“A world of brothers and sisters with one heavenly Father vanishes, as in a nightmare,” he said, “giving way to a reality populated by enemies.”
“The balance within the human family has been severely destabilized,” he added.
Echoing his predecessors
Pope Leo placed his appeal within the Church’s modern peace tradition, invoking Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII.
He quoted the Saint John Paul II’s peace appeal during the 2003 Iraq War: "I have the duty to say to all young people, to those who are younger than I, who have not had this experience: 'No more war.’”
"I make his appeal my own this evening, relevant as it is today," he said.
The Pope also cited Saint John XXIII’s 1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris: "Nothing is lost by peace; everything may be lost by war."
The voices of children
Highlighting the human toll of conflict, Pope Leo pointed to letters he receives from children living in war zones.
“In reading them, one perceives, through the lens of innocence, all the horror and inhumanity” of violence.
“Let us listen to the voices of children!” he said.
Prayer as action, not escape
The Holy Father pushed back on the idea that prayer is passive, framing it instead as a force for transformation.
“Prayer is not a refuge in which to hide from our responsibilities, nor an anesthetic to numb the pain provoked by so much injustice” he said. “Rather, it is the most selfless, universal and transformative response to death.”
He called for a global commitment to peace, urging people to “unite the moral and spiritual strength” of those who reject war and instead work to “repair the damage left behind by the madness of war.”
“We are an immense multitude that rejects war not only in word, but also in deed,” he said, calling for "a Kingdom that counters polemics and resignation through friendship and a culture of encounter."
Closing prayer for peace
Pope Leo closed the vigil with a prayer addressed directly to Christ.
"Lord Jesus, you conquered death without weapons or violence: you shattered its power with the strength of peace. Grant us your peace... Send forth your Spirit, the breath that gives life and reconciles, that turns adversaries and enemies into brothers and sisters."