Pope Leo XIV's Preface: Only a Peaceful Mind Can Create a Just and Lasting Peace

A New Preface for "Peace Be with You!"

This is the new preface by Pope Leo XIV in the book, "Peace Be with You!" which is published by HarperCollins and will be on sale in bookstores throughout the United States and other English-speaking countries as of February 24. It is the English version of "E pace sia!," which was published by the Vatican Publishing House on August 2025. Peace represents one of the paramount challenges of our era; it is both a divine gift and a solemn commitment—bestowed by God and cultivated by humanity across the ages.

A World in Need of Peace

Humans live in a world full of conflict and warfare. Many of the most vulnerable groups are suffering under the weight of nationalist agendas. In most cases, we destroy our chances for peace even before our opponents are defeated on the battlefield. All that needs to happen is for us to become selfish and greedy and place our individual interests above the common good.

Many authors have written about how we deny a person their dignity because we refuse to listen to their story. The first step toward any conflict will be the day we depersonalize someone. The first step toward lasting peace is the day that we truly understand someone. The only way that we will come to understand someone is when we learn to love that person. Saint Augustine said, "No one can be truly known except through friendship," (Eighty-Three Different Questions page 71).

The Dual Nature of Peace

I want to think about the dual nature of peace: vertical peace (peace is a gift of God) and horizontal peace (it is our collective responsibility to maintain peace).

Peace as a Gift of God

God's gift of peace has been given to all generations through the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the announcement of peace by the angels conveys God coming as man in the flesh and fully taking on our humanity and replacing the enmity of our sin with Himself at the crucifixion. St. Augustine eloquently articulates this when he writes that “We too shall be a part of God's glory in the highest, when we will be brought up in the clouds to meet Christ after our spiritual bodies have been raised from the dead, if we, during our lifetime, work to bring forth good will and peace" (Sermons, 193).

The glory of God was brought down to invite us into enjoying His inexhaustible goodness. Thus, we have a responsibility to respond to this divine gift by acting with "good will" as stated by St. Augustine of Hippo.

The Peace of the Risen Christ

In addition, the Risen One gave his disciplines a gift of peace, which has been "hurt" by the afflictions caused by the crucifixion. The peace of Jesus comes from a loving heart that takes on willingly the suffering of each age and place. "The Lord appeared to His disciples after He was risen, and saluted them, and said unto them, 'Peace be unto you.' And this was peace, the greeting of salvation; and indeed the word salute has as its root the word signifying salvation" (St. Augustine, Sermons, 116).

Peace Begins with Each of Us

At any rate, achieving peace is a commitment by every individual to his or her ability or willingness to try to work towards bringing peace. One of the most important ways to educate children about peace is through helping them to learn how to treat others with respect and not bully each other while they are playing together.

Peace is not just about overcoming one's pride, but creating an environment of tolerance to allow space for others; therefore, peace must begin with each one of us creating safe environments for ourselves at home, work, and in our sporting activities.

A Heart of Peace and Attentiveness to God

Therefore, if there is no peace in our hearts and we possess lives of silence, meditation, and attentiveness to God, then we are failing Him because peace is not supported by God nor can God's gifts to us be taken from us in some other way except by abusing other people or recklessly degrading this One Earth given to us for our use and creation.

Confronting the Globalization of Powerlessness

There are many conflicts in the world today, and people may feel powerless to address them. There are many ways to confront what I call the "globalization of powerlessness." One option is for faith-based individuals to express their concerns through prayer. This unarmed force seeks only to further the common good free of all exclusions. By praying, we let go of our own ego and allow ourselves to give in a generous and authentic manner.

Building a Culture of Reconciliation

Additionally, the heart is the supreme place of engagement. It is here we can engage in a significant formal victory over our inclinations toward violent death and our inclinations to dominate; only those people who have peaceful hearts will be able to construct a world that is peaceful.

We need to develop a reconciliation culture through the creation of non-violent workshops, where we can transform distrust of others into positive interactions. This is the source of peace, and this is where we should be working with each other rather than fighting against each other, to build trust; rather than having suspicions of each other; rather than isolating ourselves from one another, we should be having positive relationships with one another by developing mutual respect through listening to each other and understanding one another.

Dialogue, Diplomacy and Prayer for Peace

Finally, in fulfilling the role of both political leadership and global cooperation, we must foster conflict resolution through dialogue and diplomacy. As Augustine said, O Lord God, give your peace to us...the peace of rest, the peace of the Sabbath without evening.

Let us turn to the Father in prayer for the gift of a just and lasting peace for our world and all its people - especially those who have been neglected and suffer most.