Pope in Assisi: Build a civilisation of love, not division
At Santa Maria degli Angeli, the first stop on his pastoral visit, the Pope answers questions from young people and explains that Gospel radicalism is “the opposite of fundamentalism: it does not make us blind and violent, but sensitive and attentive,” and welcoming towards all. Read all
about 2 months ago
Pope Leo XIV’s pastoral visit to Assisi centered on a dialogue with young people, in which he emphasized a “civilisation of love” built on Gospel radicalism, reconciliation, authentic vocation, and a communal life that resists division, misinformation, and the isolating effects of technology. 1
The Pope began his Assisi itinerary at Santa Maria degli Angeli, answering questions from young participants from Zagreb, Bologna, Sicily and elsewhere. He framed the encounter as a chance to explore how the spiritual legacy of Saint Francis can be lived out today. 1
Leo XIV described “Gospel radicalism” as the opposite of fundamentalism: it does not blind or violent, but makes believers sensitive, attentive, humble and welcoming to all. He linked this stance to resisting manipulation and prejudice created by misinformation. 1
Referring to the recent wars in the Balkans, the Pope highlighted the Franciscans’ long‑standing dialogue among Catholics, Orthodox, and Muslims as a model for peace. He urged Christians to become peacemakers who refuse the exploitation of religion for nationalist conflict. 1
Leo XIV warned that digital immersion can erode the experience of “being together” in flesh and blood. He called for a return to silence and face‑to‑face fellowship as an antidote to the “violence, shouting and cruelty” of virtual life. 1
In response to a question about lifelong commitment, the Pope said that making a definitive “yes” to God is itself revolutionary. He critiqued a confused notion of freedom that leads to endless pursuit of new experiences, describing true love as an exodus that opens a dynamic, shared journey with God. 1
Addressing concerns about obedience and Church scandals, Leo XIV stressed that unity is at the heart of Jesus and his episcopal motto. He portrayed the Church as a space where invisible walls of discrimination can fall when people recognize each other as brothers and sisters. 1
Concluding his remarks, the Pope affirmed that true power is measured by humility and service, echoing the Magnificat. He called for a Church that lifts others up, becoming the Body of Christ that offers salvation through love‑filled strength. 1
Pope Leo XIV advocates faith-based reconciliation over political division
Pope Leo XIV’s call for faith-based reconciliation does not mean replacing politics with religion or avoiding legitimate political disagreements. Rather, it proposes a moral and spiritual framework in which political life is ordered toward human dignity, the common good, dialogue, and peace, instead of being driven by hostility, power, or partisan identity.
For Pope Leo, reconciliation begins with a change of heart. At the International Meeting for Peace, he described peace as “a constant journey of reconciliation” and emphasized that prayer opens the human person beyond self-interest. He warned that religion without prayer can itself be misused—even to justify violence—and called places of prayer “sanctuaries of reconciliation and oases of peace.”
This is important because the Pope’s proposal is not merely diplomatic. Faith-based reconciliation seeks to heal the deeper causes of division: resentment, fear, pride, dehumanization, and the desire to dominate one’s opponents. Political compromise may settle a dispute temporarily, but Christian reconciliation aims at restoring relationships and recognizing the dignity of those who have become enemies.
Pope Leo expressed this principle particularly clearly in his message concerning Lampedusa:
“To reconcile is a particular way of meeting one another: healing our wounds, forgiving each other for the evil we have done and also that we have not done, whose effects we bear.”
The language of forgiveness does not erase wrongdoing or deny victims’ suffering. The same message speaks of repairing what has been broken, treating painful memories carefully, and approaching others with patience. Reconciliation therefore includes truth, responsibility, and the difficult work of healing historical wounds.
Pope Leo’s concern is not disagreement itself. Democratic societies necessarily contain competing judgments about laws, economic policies, immigration, war, education, and social priorities. The problem arises when political disagreement becomes a totalizing conflict in which opponents are regarded as morally worthless or existential threats.
During his apostolic journey to Algeria, he spoke directly of “absurd polarizations.” His response was not political indifference but the formation of citizens capable of critical thinking, freedom, listening, dialogue, and recognizing those who differ as “fellow travelers and not threats.”
This approach rejects two opposite errors:
The Pope’s emphasis on critical thinking indicates that reconciliation does not require abandoning reason or moral judgment. Christians are still obliged to distinguish good from evil and to work for just laws. But they must do so without hatred, contempt, or the reduction of persons to political labels.
Pope Leo’s vision also addresses the proper relationship between faith and politics. In his address to members of the European Parliament’s Working Group on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue, he called for “healthy secularism”—a social arrangement that affirms the value of religion while preserving a distinction between religion and the political sphere, without either confusion or hostility.
This distinction is theologically and politically significant. The Church does not teach that the state should become an instrument of ecclesiastical power. Nor does it accept the view that religion must be excluded from public reasoning. Faith can contribute moral convictions about human dignity, solidarity, justice, peace, and the common good, while political authority retains its proper sphere.
Pope Leo identified Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer, and Alcide De Gasperi as examples of Christian politicians who combined public service with respect for this distinction. Their example suggests that Christian political engagement should be neither theocratic nor privatized, but directed toward the service of society.
This principle is consistent with the earlier teaching of Pope Leo XIII. In Pergrata, Leo XIII warned Catholics against clinging too tenaciously to partisan positions, observing that excessive attachment to one’s faction obstructs the unity of Catholics. He recommended prudence and moderation so that legitimate differences would not destroy ecclesial unity.
Similarly, in Au Milieu des Sollicitudes, Leo XIII urged Catholics and other citizens to set aside political strife in order to work for the pacification of their country. He connected this pacification with the Church’s mission as a representative of the God of peace.
Pope Leo does not present reconciliation as mere civility or a temporary truce. In Lebanon, he insisted that truth and reconciliation grow together. Individuals and communities see only part of the truth, and genuine understanding requires encountering what others have experienced and know.
This provides an important corrective to polarized politics. Public debate often rewards simplified narratives: one side is portrayed as entirely innocent and the other as entirely guilty. A Christian approach recognizes that facts and moral responsibility must be examined seriously, while also acknowledging that communities may carry different memories of suffering and injustice.
The Pope further taught that lasting reconciliation requires a common purpose and institutions committed to the common good. Peace is not simply a fragile balance among rival groups; it is learning to live together and work together for a shared future.
The common good, in Catholic social thought, means the social conditions that allow individuals and communities to flourish. It is not merely the sum of private interests. Pope Leo explicitly described it as superior to particular interests because it unites people’s goals and enables them to achieve more together than in isolation.
Consequently, reconciliation has both a personal and institutional dimension:
Pope Leo’s appeal also contains a warning to religious believers. At the peace meeting in Rome, he adopted Pope Francis’s warning that religions must not become instruments of nationalism, ethnocentrism, or populism. He firmly repeated that “war is never holy; only peace is holy, because it is willed by God.”
The principle applies beyond armed conflict. Political movements can misuse religious symbols to baptize their own goals, portray opponents as enemies of God, or claim exclusive possession of patriotism and moral legitimacy. The Pope’s teaching challenges this tendency by insisting that faith cannot be reduced to a political weapon.
His appeal to fraternity rests on the Christian conviction that all human beings are created in God’s image. Citing Nostra Aetate, he stated that believers cannot truly pray to God as Father while treating any people as something other than brothers and sisters.
That does not mean all beliefs or policies are equally correct. It means that opposition to an idea must not become hatred of the person who holds it. Christian politics must preserve moral seriousness while refusing contempt.
Pope Leo’s approach extends beyond Catholic political cooperation. In his message to the Ecumenical Week in Stockholm, he described Christian unity as capable of overcoming division without denying differences. He highlighted the importance of common witness for peace, justice, and human dignity.
He also emphasized that Christians are called to become “artisans of reconciliation”: confronting division courageously, responding to indifference with compassion, and bringing healing where people have been hurt.
The ecumenical significance is that reconciliation is not simply a social technique. It is a Christian vocation grounded in the peace of Christ. Catholics can cooperate with other Christians and religious believers for peace and the defense of human dignity while remaining faithful to the fullness of Catholic doctrine.
Pope Leo’s message has practical implications for Catholic life:
Pope Leo XIV’s advocacy of faith-based reconciliation is a call to recover politics as a form of service rather than tribal conflict. His teaching joins prayer with dialogue, forgiveness with truth, and personal conversion with institutional responsibility.
The central message is not that political differences are unimportant. It is that no political difference justifies treating another person as an enemy beyond reconciliation. Faith directs Christians toward a public life in which human dignity, truth, fraternity, and the common good are stronger than partisan division.