Pope Leo XIV warns against destructive spiral of autonomous weapons and escalation Pope Leo XIV warned against the destructive spiral fueled by the arms race and the development of autonomous weapons, and called for an \u201cunarmed and disarming\u201d peace \u2014 one that springs from the resurrection of Christ \u2014 as the only answer to the world\u2019s challenges. \u201cThe peace of the risen Jesus is unarmed, because his was an unarmed struggle in the midst of concrete historical, political, and social circumstances,\u201d the pontiff wrote in his message for the 59th World Day of Peace, which will be celebrated on Jan. 1, 2026. Its text was released Dec. 18 by the Holy See Press Office. The four-page document is titled \u201cPeace Be with You All: Towards an Unarmed and Disarming Peace,\u201d an expression that directly echoes the first words spoken by Leo XIV after his election as the successor of Peter on May 8, when he appeared on the balcony of the Apostolic Palace to greet the faithful for the first time. In the text, the pope lamented that, in the face of global challenges, the predominant response is an \u201cenormous economic investment in rearmament.\u201d In this regard, he noted that in 2024, global military spending increased by 9.4% compared with the previous year, confirming \u201cthe trend of the last 10 years.\u201d According to the data cited, total spending reached $2.718 trillion, equivalent to 2.5% of the world\u2019s gross domestic product. Beyond the statistics, the pope warned of the cultural and educational consequences of this logic. He criticized the fact that schools and universities are not adequately preserving \u201ca culture of memory\u201d that remembers the \u201cmillions of victims\u201d of wars \u200b\u200band lamented that, instead, educational programs are being promoted that are based on the \u201cperception of threats,\u201d promoting \u201conly an armed notion of defense and security.\u201d The Holy Father also emphasized how technological advancements and the incorporation of artificial intelligence in the military sphere have \u201cworsened the tragedy\u201d of armed conflicts. He therefore warned of the risk of a growing tendency to \u201cshirk responsibility\u201d by political and military leaders such that \u201cdecisions about life and death are increasingly \u201c\u2018delegated\u2019 to machines.\u201d In his view, this is an \u201cunprecedented destructive betrayal\u201d of the \u201clegal and philosophical principles of humanism\u201d upon which any civilization is based and safeguarded. The pontiff did not shy away from denouncing \u201cthe enormous concentrations of private economic and financial interests\u201d that are driving states in this direction, but emphasized that just criticizing this would not be enough \u201cunless we also awakened conscience and critical thought\u201d throughout society. In his reflection, Leo XIV included an explicit warning against the religious instrumentalization of violence. The pope observed that it is part of the contemporary landscape to \u201cto drag the language of faith into political battles, to bless nationalism, and to justify violence and armed struggle in the name of religion.\u201d In response, he urged believers to \u201cactively refute this, above all by the witness of their lives,\u201d because \u201cthese forms of blasphemy profane the holy name of God.\u201d Therefore, he emphasized that, alongside concrete actions for peace, it is increasingly necessary to cultivate \u201cprayer, spirituality, and ecumenical and interreligious dialogue\u201d as authentic paths to peace and as languages \u200b\u200bof encounter between traditions and cultures. The Holy Father also warned of the risk of treating peace as a \u201cdistant ideal\u201d and \u201cdisconnected from the concrete experience of people and the political life of nations.\u201d When peace is presented as something unattainable, the pope noted in the text, \u201cwe cease to be scandalized when it is denied, or even when war is waged in its name.\u201d According to the pontiff, there is a real risk that this logic will end up seeping into both private and public life, fueling the perception that it is almost \u201ca fault\u201d not to be sufficiently prepared for war, \u201cnot to react to attacks,\u201d even going \u201cfar beyond the principle of legitimate defense.\u201d \u201cIt is no coincidence that repeated calls to increase military spending, and the choices that follow, are presented by many government leaders as a justified response to external threats,\u201d Leo XIV lamented. Indeed, he continued, \u201cthe deterrent power of military might, especially nuclear deterrence, is based on the irrationality of relations between nations, built not on law, justice, and trust but on fear and domination by force.\u201d Faced with this scenario, the pope proposed a different understanding of peace that \u201cwants to dwell within us\u201d and has the \u201cgentle power to enlighten and expand our understanding; it resists and overcomes violence.\u201d \u2018Peace is a breath of the eternal\u2019 \u201cPeace is a breath of the eternal: while to evil we cry out \u2018Enough,\u2019 to peace we whisper \u2018Forever,\u2019\u201d the pope emphasized. The reflection included a cultural critique of the modern world, which he called \u201crealistic\u201d in its narratives but \u201cdevoid of hope, blind to the beauty of others,\u201d and that forgets that \u201cGod\u2019s grace is always at work in human hearts, even those wounded by sin.\u201d In this regard, the pope recalled that the path proposed by Jesus was already perplexing even for his own disciples: \u201cThe Gospels do not hide the fact that what troubled the disciples was his nonviolent response,\u201d a path that everyone, starting with Peter, opposed, \u201cyet the Master asked them to follow this path to the end. The way of Jesus continues to cause unease and fear.\u201d The Holy Father acknowledged the discouragement experienced by people of goodwill who \u201chave hearts ready for peace\u201d and are overwhelmed by a feeling of \u201cpowerlessness\u201d in the face of the increasingly uncertain course of events. The World Day of Peace was instituted by St. Paul VI, who proposed it on Dec. 8, 1967, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It was celebrated for the first time on Jan. 1, 1968, coinciding with the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and since then it has become an annual occasion for the Church to reflect on the great challenges of human coexistence. This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Victoria Cardiel Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. 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