Pope Leo XIV says "War, again!" - "we must pray a lot for peace" Jesus Tells us "be promoters of peace" through Dialogue - FULL TEXT

Pope Leo XIV arrived at 3:49 pm, visiting the parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ at Via Manfredonia, Rome. Designed after the war—in 1954, by architect Francesco Fornari, it is the third of five communities in his diocese that Leo XIV is visiting before Easter. Thousands were waiting for him.  46 years ago, was the last visit of a Pope, John Paul II, to this parish: on was February 3, 1980.
Parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Rome)
Second Sunday of Lent, March 1, 2026
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Words of the Holy Father during the meeting with children in the sports field

First of all, good evening everyone and welcome back. Thank you for your welcome! Thank you so much! Before answering your questions, I want to say that I'm truly delighted to be with you this evening. Thank you for being here, thank you for making this meeting possible. To your parish priest, to the Dehonian Fathers, and to all those who work in the parish, I extend a very warm, sincere, and fraternal greeting. The name of your parish, "Ascension," says a lot because it is when Jesus ascends to heaven. Jesus brings the best of our humanity to God the Father in heaven.

In a certain sense, it is the mission of this parish and it answers one of the questions: why does evil exist? In the world, we know that evil exists, but more importantly, good exists, love exists, and this parish is the light of love here, in this neighborhood! It is you!

And so this visit tonight represents at least one moment, among the many moments you experience, to experience the beauty of brotherhood, love, and charity, when we all do good, not evil, for one another. So this truly is cause for a beautiful celebration; we must celebrate.

Why does evil exist, unfortunately? Free men can choose, as Scripture says: the Bible says they can choose life or death, good or evil. We have this freedom, which is a very great gift. We are here to set an example, starting with you children. You must always choose good and never evil, because in this way we can gradually transform our world; we can make a difference!

Then, like the young people, I'm truly happy to see so many young people in the Magis movement: a round of applause for you too, because we need you—the parish, the diocese, Italy, the world—all need these testimonies because that's how we can truly change the world. I tell you, from this moment on, I'm deeply concerned about what's happening in the world: especially yesterday, today, and for who knows how many more days, in the Middle East. War, again! We too must be heralds of the message of peace, the peace of Jesus, the peace that God wants for everyone. So we must pray a lot for peace and seek ways to live in unity and always reject the temptation to harm others. Violence is never the right choice. And we must always choose good.

And so, even you children, with your words, with obedience to Mom and Dad at home, with the gesture of doing something good... everything you do and everything we adults do must always be a choice for the good, for peace, for reconciliation, for communion, for friendship, and thus seek, with Jesus, as Catholics, as disciples of Jesus, to build peace in our world.

The other question you asked me—and I know it's a concern for many—is precisely why so many children in this world don't have family, homes, food and drink, or a bed to sleep in. This is truly a tragedy that exists among us. We've all seen the tragedy in recent years, for example, in Gaza, where so many children have died, where so many children have been left without parents, without a school, without a place to live.

And so we must all seek the same answer there, according to what Jesus tells us: how to be promoters of peace, of reconciliation, seeking solutions not through violence, but through dialogue. There are differences; we must learn to respect one another, to say no to things that are harmful, and always choose what is good, rejecting what is harmful to our health. For example, the drug problem, which exists in many places, including here in this area. Always reject what is harmful and try to say "yes" to health, "yes" to what is beneficial. Always "no" to drugs, but always "yes" to what is beneficial.

And you, young people, also have a responsibility: to be teachers in this regard, with your testimony that can greatly help children, young people, and young adults, while also trying to eliminate these serious problems from the streets. Well, I would like to greet Cardinal Baldo Reina, vicar of the Diocese of Rome, standing next to me on this side: we are pleased to have him here. Also here is Msgr. Alessandro Zenobbi, who has been appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Rome. So, best wishes and thank you, welcome. Well done! Representing the entire family, there are also nuns from various Congregations: thank you for your work, for your service. Thank you to the many people who collaborate for good here in the parish: it is wonderful to be together.

May this parish be a light, may this parish be a testimony to the importance of living the faith, carrying this presence of God in our hearts, learning and then teaching love to others, and always having the courage to say "yes" to Jesus Christ and "no" to evil, "no" to sin, but "yes" to God's love. Thank you, thank you: we will continue this celebration.

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Words of the Holy Father during the meeting with the sick and the elderly

How wonderful it is to have this meeting and to give me the opportunity to greet you, to listen to some testimonies, to greet each of you individually, each of you who in a certain sense represent the entire parish. There's a great treasure written here in one word, on this side, that says "let's build community." A community where we can all come together with our weaknesses, with health problems, with disabilities, with children who are struggling, with prisoners who have so many problems, including psychological, personal, and spiritual health. But when we come together in community, there is a strength far greater than any one of us: it is the strength that comes from God's love, which truly makes us a family where we are family with one another, where even when someone is ill, someone is detained, someone has lost their health, someone is suffering, if we are all together, we support each other and can continue to move forward, and this is truly very beautiful.

I spoke earlier about the need to pray for peace in the world—for the problems in the Middle East, Ukraine, and so many other places—but it's truly important to pray for peace here, at home. And it's also important that the voice of the parish "wake up" the authorities—the police, the state—who often could do more to help overcome the problems that exist here. Then this voice, coming from a community of faithful in a parish, can also be raised, and we can try to make important changes for the good of all. Let's work together. Let's try to live our faith together, and let's always be this witness.

Perhaps at this moment, even though there is Mass afterwards, we ask the Lord for his blessing for each of you, for your children, your relatives, all your loved ones, with this confidence: that God's grace accompanies us and always helps us. Let us truly live with great trust in God's grace, but also in the strength of the love we find when we are truly united in community. Let us pray together. [Recitation of the Our Father and blessing]