Speaking at his Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV urged Christians to bring the Gospel to a world marked by violence and injustice.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged those responsible for the escalating war in the Middle East to declare a ceasefire and open paths of dialogue, warning that violence can never lead to justice or peace.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the name of the Christians of the Middle East and of all women and men of goodwill, I address those responsible for this conflict: Let the fire cease and let paths of dialogue be reopened,\u201d the pope said after praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter\u2019s Square.<\/p>\n
The appeal came amid continuing regional tensions and exchanges of attacks in the Middle East. Earlier Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC that Iran is seeking a ceasefire agreement to end U.S. and Israeli bombing, though he said he is not prepared to accept the proposal for now because the \u201cterms are not good enough yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel also struck targets in Lebanon, where at least 14 people were reported killed, including four minors. Pope Leo described the situation in the country as \u201ca cause for great concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that paths of dialogue will open that can help the authorities of the country implement lasting solutions to the serious crisis underway, for the common good of all Lebanese,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pope noted that for the past two weeks the peoples of the Middle East have been suffering \u201cthe atrocious violence of war.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThousands of innocent people have been killed and many others have been forced to abandon their homes,\u201d he said, expressing his prayerful closeness to those who have lost loved ones in attacks on schools, hospitals, and residential areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cViolence will never lead to the justice, stability, or peace that peoples hope for,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u2018Faith is not a renunciation of reason\u2019<\/p>\n
Earlier during the Angelus reflection, Pope Leo emphasized that Christian faith does not require abandoning reason but instead allows believers to see reality more clearly.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the Gospel account of the healing of the man born blind (John 9:1\u201341), the pope said the episode reveals the deeper meaning of salvation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile humanity walked in darkness, God sent his Son as the light of the world to open the eyes of the blind and illuminate our lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The pope stressed that faith \u201cis not a blind act,\u201d nor \u201ca renunciation of reason,\u201d nor a conviction that turns believers away from the world.<\/p>\n
Rather, he explained, \u201cfaith helps us to look from the point of view of Jesus, with his eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a participation in his way of seeing,\u201d he said, quoting Lumen Fidei, the first encyclical of Pope Francis.<\/p>\n
For this reason, Christians are called to open their eyes to the suffering of others and to the wounds of the world.<\/p>\n
The Gospel, the pope said, contradicts the idea \u2014 widespread for centuries and still present today \u2014 that faith is a \u201cleap into darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the contrary, the Gospel tells us that in contact with Christ the eyes are opened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo added that the Gospel invites believers to view the world with Christ\u2019s eyes and not remain indifferent to human suffering.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, in particular, faced with the many questions of the human heart and the dramatic situations of injustice, violence, and suffering that mark our time, there is a need for an awake, attentive, and prophetic faith,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Such faith, he explained, \u201copens our eyes to the darkness of the world and brings there the light of the Gospel through a commitment to peace, justice, and solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope concluded by encouraging Christians to live a \u201cChristianity with open eyes,\u201d with simplicity and courage.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrothers and sisters, we too, healed by the love of Christ, are called to live a Christianity with open eyes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0in\u00a0two parts\u00a0by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n