The Pope’s monthly intention for March, which was announced in December 2025, calls for disarmament and peace.
“Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament,” the prayer intention reads, “particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.”
On Feb. 28, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had commenced “major combat operations in Iran,” after news outlets reported that Israeli-U.S. forces had struck hundreds of sites in the country.
Since then, there have been nearly 800 casualties, Zeale News reported.
In a March 1 address, Pope Leo called for prayers and denounced the abandonment of diplomacy.
“I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time. Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue,” Pope Leo said after the Sunday Angelus.
Each year, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network distributes the prayer intentions and includes monthly reflections on the themes. This month’s reflection was written by a college student who shared his experience visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan.
“The images of burned children, the human shadows seared into stone, the shredded school uniforms, and the accounts of radiation sickness confronted me with the full horror of nuclear weapons,” William deGuzman wrote. “I felt sadness, anger, guilt, and disbelief that human beings could inflict such violence on one another.
These emotions, though, soon turned into a sense of responsibility. Archbishop Peter Michiaki Nakamura of Nagasaki’s words at the Peace Mass in the Urakami Cathedral further inspired deGuzman: “Our hope lies in God’s hands. Let us live as God’s hands.”
“His words helped me understand more clearly that Christ’s call to be peacemakers is not an optional invitation,” deGuzman wrote. “Peace in the world begins with peace in our own hearts, and true disarmament starts within. We can disarm our language by avoiding harsh or aggressive words. In conflict, we can choose dialogue and seek understanding. We can let go of small daily forms of violence like impatience or contempt. We can stay informed about places in conflict and pray for them. Most of all, we can act with justice in our relationships, remembering that peace is the fruit of just and loving lives.”