Pope Leo urges Europe to choose dialogue over domination

Pope Leo XIV used his final day in France to urge European leaders and religious communities to rely on dialogue, international law and cooperation to address war and division. Speaking in Metz on Monday, September 28, he linked Europe’s capacity for peace to its history of reconciliation and its Christian heritage, while warning that invoking God to justify violence or oppression profanes God’s name. At an interreligious gathering at the Robert Schuman Conference Center, Leo called on faith leaders to foster friendships across borders and promote peace. Representatives of Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and Orthodox communities attended. The participants signed the Metz Appeal, committing themselves to peace, dialogue and the defense of human dignity, according to an account of the gathering. In a separate address on Europe’s roots and unity, Leo said international law and multilateralism were the best antidote to domination, which he described as a source of conflict. He urged negotiators to pursue patient dialogue and be prepared to give up some positions for the greater good of peace. His remarks addressed the continuing war in Ukraine without naming it directly.