Pope Leo XIV opens cardinals’ meeting with anti-war message

Pope Leo XIV began a closed-door meeting of cardinals from around the world in the Vatican on Friday with a call for humanity to resolve conflicts “as humans, not as beasts,” LRT reports, citing BNS.

The gathering, known as a consistory, will conclude on Saturday and is set to discuss global challenges facing the Catholic Church. The event started with a mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, led by the US-born pontiff.

“International tensions and conflicts seriously wound the human family,” the pope said in his homily. “War is never worthy of humanity, and God never blesses it. Even if we are armed with high-tech weapons, the Creator has endowed us with intelligence and free will to resolve conflicts as humans, not as beasts.”

This is the second time Pope Leo XIV has summoned all 241 cardinals worldwide since his election last May. Regular meetings have become a key tool of his papal governance, reflecting a push for more collegial leadership in the Church. The agenda includes prayers, seminars, and plenary sessions.

“There will be real sharing among us. It is clear that Pope Leo wants us to form a college, to get to know each other (…) The more such meetings we have, the more united we will be,” Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers, told AFP.