Pope speaks on global violence

Pope Leo XIV has offered a message of hope to believers as the world faces growing violence and tension.

The pontiff, in a video message released on Sunday, June 7, for the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, said: “In a world marked by tensions and violence, we need to remember that God’s mercy is limitless and has the power to change our hearts,

“Amid the vortex of violence that poisons relationships and destroys lives, the mercy of God asks to be allowed into our hearts with its amazing power of renewal,” the Pope emphasized.

“It is this mercy that is capable of turning our lives around, opening the way to love and forgiveness as distinctive features of the face of God manifested through us.”

The 6th World Apostolic Congress on Mercy is taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania, from June 7 to 12. This event takes place every three years in a different country and centers on proclaiming and promoting God’s Divine Mercy through testimonials, lectures, cultural events, liturgies and more.

In his video message the Pope greeted His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is attending the event, as well as the Archbishop of Vilnius, Gintaras Grušas, the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, and all those participating. He also recalled how this initiative “was so strongly desired” by St. John Paul II.

God never tires of showing his mercy

In his video message, the Pope underlined how in “today’s world, with its many fears and anxieties, tensions and wars” there is “an increasingly urgent need for peace in the hearts of both individuals and peoples.”

“God never tires of showing His mercy,” the Pope insisted, adding that His love “endures forever, and how much our world is crying out for mercy at every level!”

Quoting St. Augustine who said that his only hope was in “God’s exceeding great mercy,” the Pope highlighted that, indeed, it is a source of joy and hope “when we experience how merciful God is towards each one of us.”

However, he explained that the peace “we so deeply desire cannot be attained without mercy.”

“Let us therefore join our trust in the infinite mercy of God with our own personal commitment to build a more welcoming and merciful society, beginning with our families,” he urged.

He concluded by encouraging those present to then bring back to their communities all they gathered from this international meeting and by imparting his Apostolic Blessing.