Pope Leo XIV delivered his Angelus address on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on January 6, 2026. The Pope reflected on the Magi adoring the Christ Child, stating their journey symbolizes giving all of oneself and possessions to Jesus. Pope Leo XIV called for replacing inequality with fairness and the "industry of war" with the "craft of peace." Kneeling before the Infant of Bethlehem signifies recognizing true humanity where God's glory shines forth, according to the Pope. The address emphasized that encountering Jesus allows for dynamic freedom that loosens fear and enables peace.
2 months ago
Pope Leo XIV delivered his Angelus address on January 6, 2026, during the Solemnity of the Epiphany in St. Peter's Square, following Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.1
He reflected on the Magi's adoration of the Christ Child, urging the faithful to give everything to Jesus as their "inestimable treasure."1
The Pope highlighted the Magi's risk-taking journey and gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as symbols of total self-giving.1
Kneeling before the Infant Jesus means professing "true humanity" where divine life fosters communion, freedom from fear, and peace.1
Pope Leo linked the Magi's offerings to the poor widow's total donation in the Temple, emphasizing that "the greatest gift is to give everything."1
Jesus reveals a life open to others, teaching to pray "on earth as it is in heaven," making divine life accessible and invitational.1
The address coincided with the end of the Jubilee Year, marked by the closing of St. Peter's Holy Door.1
The Jubilee recalled biblical calls for justice through gratuitousness, peaceful living, resource redistribution, and restoration to God's designs.1
Pope Leo urged sharing personal gifts to magnify Christ's presence, turning strangers into brothers and fostering fairness over inequality.1
He prayed for "the industry of war be replaced by the craft of peace" and called the faithful to journey "towards the future by another road" as weavers of hope.1
Replace war’s industry with the craft of peace
The phrase "Replace war’s industry with the craft of peace" encapsulates a profound call rooted in Catholic tradition, urging a transformation from systems that perpetuate conflict and violence to deliberate efforts fostering justice, fraternity, and reconciliation. This vision aligns seamlessly with the Church's consistent magisterial emphasis on peace as the "tranquility of order," superior to mere absence of war or power balances, and achievable through diplomacy, solidarity, and respect for human dignity. Drawing from papal messages, conciliar documents, and theological reflections, Catholic teaching does not romanticize pacifism but subordinates the regrettable necessity of defensive force to proactive peacemaking, challenging modern "war industries" while affirming legitimate self-defense under just war criteria.
Pope Leo XIV's recent addresses vividly illustrate this shift. In his video message for SEEK26 conferences, held amid the Christmas season, the Holy Father reflects on John 1:38, where Jesus asks the first disciples, "What do you seek?" This question invites young seekers to pursue not worldly power or conflict but the Lamb of God, echoing the Baptist's proclamation that propels immediate discipleship. Similarly, in his message to Latin American priests, religious, and seminarians in Rome, Pope Leo invokes Our Lady of Guadalupe to inspire courage in proclaiming Christ's wonders, urging them to become "living stones of a temple for his glory" through mission fruitful in peace. These interventions frame peace as a joyful, Christ-centered craft, supplanting war's machinery with evangelization and formation.
Historically, this papal emphasis evolved as the Church shed temporal powerhouses like papal armies, redirecting its role toward peacemaking. From Pius IX's 1849 refusal to engage in war between Piedmont and Austria—appealing to Peter's pacific mission—to Leo XIII's declarations that the pope's function is "to promote peace between nations," the Magisterium has positioned itself as a global minister of reconciliation. Benedict XV's failed World War I mediation further entrenched this, subtly de-emphasizing bellum justum in favor of dialogue.
Catholic doctrine retains just war teaching as a framework of empowerment and restraint, never glorifying conflict. Thomas Aquinas defined peace positively as friendship's fruit through charity, indirectly via justice removing obstacles like aggression. The Second Vatican Council upholds armed forces for legitimate defense "at the service of peace," honoring those who protect security and freedom. Yet, war remains a "crime against life," causing suffering, death, and injustice, resolvable instead by international law, dialogue, and diplomacy.
The U.S. bishops stress avoiding war amid proliferating conflicts, recognizing its failure to reflect human dignity while permitting defense against grave evils like terrorism or religious persecution—provided means respect ethical limits, reject torture, and address terror's roots. Proportionality now often trumps just cause, as John XXIII stated: "In this age which boasts of its atomic power, it no longer makes sense to maintain that war is a fit instrument with which to repair the violation of justice." Classical thinkers like Aquinas, Suarez, and Vitoria echoed this pragmatism, advising reluctance: princes enter war "dragged reluctantly but inevitably," waiving rights for charity or assured victory. Paul VI balanced this: "Never again war!" yet conceded arms for defense against human weakness.
Contemporary documents like Antiqua et Nova reinforce that peace tools must never justify injustice, prioritizing "patient diplomacy, active promotion of justice, solidarity, [and] integral human development." The English and Welsh bishops note war's evils outweigh benefits, limiting it to lawful self-defense per Gaudium et Spes no. 79.
"War’s industry" evokes military-industrial complexes fueling endless conflicts, indifferent to casualties like today's martyrs killed "for the sole reason of being Christians." Catholic teaching counters with a "craft of peace": nations must prevent conflicts, resolve them peacefully, and pursue reconstruction. This demands fair burden-sharing, moral restraint, and conscientious objection rights.
Theological analysis reveals continuity, not discontinuity: medieval "war" meant just acts against unjust foes, while modern usage condemns the conflict state itself—yet admits remedial force. Peace integrates justice (removing obstacles) and charity (building fraternity), urging international institutions, arms control, and dialogue over force.
To replace war’s industry, Catholics must embody peacemaking: legislators prioritize friendship over punitive justice, leaders heed charity moderating rights, and all pursue "honest dialogue, solidarity between States." Concretely, support diplomacy, reject preventive wars, and honor peace-builders as true contributors to order. Pope Leo XIV's exhortations to youth and clergy summon us to seek Christ, the Prince of Peace, transforming hearts and societies.
In summary, Catholic sources affirm peace as the higher craft—rooted in Christ's query, Marian witness, and just war's restraints—demanding we dismantle violence's engines for justice's patient work. This fidelity ensures human dignity flourishes, echoing Augustine: peace is "the tranquility of order."