During a pastoral visit to a Rome parish, the pope warned against invoking God to justify violence.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that God cannot be used to justify violence or war, warning that \u201cGod cannot be enlisted by darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope made the remarks March 15 during a pastoral visit to the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Ponte Mammolo, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Rome, where he celebrated Mass on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, known as Laetare Sunday.<\/p>\n
Before the Mass, Leo XIV met with various parish groups, including children, young people, families, the sick, the elderly, and the poor assisted by volunteers from Caritas, the Catholic Church\u2019s charitable aid network, and the Community of Sant\u2019Egidio, a Rome-based Catholic lay community known for its service to the poor and peacemaking efforts.<\/p>\n
In his homily, the pope reflected on the suffering caused by armed conflicts around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of our brothers and sisters today suffer because of violent conflicts, caused by the absurd claim that problems and differences can be resolved with war,\u201d he said. \u201cInstead, we must tirelessly pursue dialogue for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome even claim to involve the name of God in these choices of death,\u201d the pope continued. \u201cBut God cannot be enlisted by darkness. Rather, he always comes to give light, hope, and peace to humanity \u2014 and it is peace that those who invoke him must seek.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the Gospel story of the man born blind, Leo XIV said the passage teaches believers to see others with the eyes of God.<\/p>\n
To see in this way, he said, means overcoming prejudice \u2014 especially the tendency to look at someone who suffers \u201conly as an outcast to be despised or a problem to be avoided,\u201d retreating into \u201cthe fortified tower of selfish individualism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus, by contrast, looks at the blind man with love, \u201cnot as an inferior being or a nuisance but as a person who is dear and in need of help,\u201d the pope said.<\/p>\n
By healing him, Jesus reveals his divine power and restores the man\u2019s dignity as a creature made in the image and likeness of God. Having regained his sight, the man becomes \u201ca witness to the light,\u201d the pope said.<\/p>\n
Leo XIV also warned of another form of blindness \u2014 the refusal to recognize God\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n
Those who accused Jesus and the healed man, he said, showed a deeper blindness: failing to see \u201cright before them the face of God,\u201d preferring instead the sterile security of rigid legalism.<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus does not stop before such obstinacy,\u201d the pope said, showing that \u201cthere is no Sabbath that can hinder an act of love.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope also urged Christians to examine their own lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe too can be blind when we fail to notice others and their problems,\u201d he said. The first Christian community, he added, understood the call to live differently \u2014 sharing their goods, persevering in prayer, and living in communion and peace despite trials.<\/p>\n
Addressing the parish community directly, Leo XIV praised its outreach to the poor and marginalized, including its attention to inmates at the nearby Rebibbia prison and its efforts to assist migrants with learning the language, finding housing, and securing stable employment.<\/p>\n
He also commended the parish\u2019s charitable initiatives, including family homes that welcome women and mothers in difficulty.<\/p>\n
The pope concluded by encouraging the faithful to continue nurturing the \u201cgift of light\u201d entrusted to them through prayer, the sacraments, and charity.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet it grow within you and among you in all its gentleness,\u201d he said, \u201cand spread it throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, greeting children and young people, the pope also addressed parishioners who could not enter the church because of limited space, telling them that a vibrant parish community can be a sign of hope even in places marked by hardship.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe who believe in Jesus Christ and live as brothers and sisters united can be a sign of hope in a world where these signs are often lacking,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Jesus Christ there is salvation, and we want to live, receive, and share this great love that the Lord offers us.\u201d<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n