Pope Leo XIV concluded the second extraordinary consistory of his pontificate on the evening of June 27 by joining with the College of Cardinals in a unanimous appeal for peace in the world. “God desires peace for every nation and every people,” he said.

“We must not resign ourselves to violence. Violence will not have the last word. God continues to open paths of reconciliation and peace throughout history. We have a responsibility to walk these paths with courage and to help the world recognize them.”

“Let us say this to our brother bishops, to the churches entrusted to our ministry and to all the peoples of the earth,” he declared at the end of a speech in which he spoke about peace several times.

He began his address by expressing solidarity—“mine and that of the entire College of Cardinals with the people of Venezuela, who have been severely affected by the violent earthquake of recent days.”

He assured the people of Venezuela, where more than 1,400 have died in two earthquakes this week, of “our prayers for the victims, for their families and for all those suffering the consequences of this tragedy” and called for “the international community’s solidarity with that beloved nation.”

Leo had been present for most of the consistory, except when the cardinals were engaged in the group discussions.

In his speech, he reflected on what he had heard during the consistory and also shared his reaction to what the cardinals had said in an earlier dialogue with the pope. We do not yet know what was said.

He expressed his “profound thanks” to the cardinals for “the freedom, fraternity and ecclesial spirit with which you have participated in our work” and the precious help they had given him. The pope confirmed that he would continue to hold such consistories and said he would announce the date of the next one—to be held in 2027—before the end of this year.

Referring to the work they had done over these two days, the Augustinian pope told them, “I take with me not only the substance of your reflections, but also the experience that made them possible.”

In these days, he said, “we have sought the Lord’s will together, convinced that Christ continues to work in his church: it is He who goes before us, gathers us together, speaks through our brothers and sisters and leads us in our mission. Everything comes from Him and everything returns to Him.”

“For this reason,” he said, “seeing cardinals from such diverse churches, cultures and situations listen to one another and seek together what best serves the Gospel has been a source of comfort and hope for me.”

In a reference to a biblical reflection offered by the Polish cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, Leo recalled that they had begun their discussions “guided by the image of the good Samaritan: a man who stops to help his wounded brother, is moved to the depths of his being and cares for him.”

“I would like to conclude with another image from the Gospel: that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who were walking ‘marked by sadness and disappointment,’ but whose encounter with the Lord ‘set their hearts ablaze and transformed their journey,’” he said. “ I like to think that what we have experienced these past few days also has something of this experience: We have walked together; we have listened to one another, and, if we have made room for the Lord, He has rekindled hope in our hearts and now sends us back to our churches to resume our journey with a new perspective.”

Aware that some cardinals still have reservations about the synodal way and especially about the role of non-bishops in it, Leo said, “It seems to me that the question of synodality is not primarily ‘Who has the power to decide?’ The question runs deeper: ‘How do we together safeguard the gift that the Lord has entrusted to his church?’”

“When this question becomes the focus of our discernment, even the issues of authority, shared responsibility and decision-making find their proper place, illuminated by our mission and our common fidelity to the Gospel.”

He reminded them of what Cardinal Mario Grech of Malta, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, had said, that “synodality is not a series of meetings, nor is it a working method. It is a spiritual style. It arises from encounter, grows through listening and matures through discernment.”

Leo explained that “the real question is not how many conversations we will be able to organize, but what evangelical quality our encounters will have. When we listen to one another with humility and freedom, making room for the Spirit, our conversations do not remain merely an exchange of ideas, but become a place of conversion, where we grow together in fidelity to the Lord.”

Then, turning to the substance of their reflections on the four topics he had asked them to discuss, Leo began by saying “what I take with me above all is the perspective with which you contemplated the world during the first session. Many of you spoke of the suffering caused by wars, violence, poverty and the many injustices that mark the lives of peoples.”

“Yet,” he said, “you did not stop at merely describing them. Behind these tragedies, you recognized an even deeper suffering: loneliness, the crisis of relationships, the loss of hope and the difficulty of recognizing one another as brothers and sisters. It is a perspective that does not avert its gaze from the world’s wounds, but seeks their roots, recognizing—often hidden within them—a renewed search for meaning, authenticity, spirituality and community. Many today are seeking hope and authentic relationships.”

The American pope said he was “particularly struck” by the way the cardinals spoke about young people and “the suffering that sometimes leads them to despair—and at times to the extreme despair of taking their own lives.”

“Listening to [these young people] and their families with humility is also a way through which the Lord continues to convert the church,” Leo said.

Commenting on the fact that many cardinals had spoken about “the family,” Leo said, “Where the family is supported and accompanied, a school of relationships, solidarity and hope flourishes; where it is wounded or isolated, society as a whole bears the consequences.”

He recalled that he has convened a meeting to be held in October with the heads of the Eastern churches and the presidents of episcopal conferences to assess the progress made since Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” was published in 2016. Some families will share their experiences at that meeting and “their presence is essential,” Leo said.

He noted that in their first session the cardinals had reflected on “the wounds of the world” and sought to listen to what those wounds “reveal about the human heart” because “it is precisely there, in the heart, that peace is also decided.”

Leo remarked, “Before manifesting itself in history, war is born within us, when suspicion takes the place of trust, fear takes the place of hope, and the other is perceived as a threat.” But, he said, “it is in that same heart that Christ continues to meet us, to speak to us, and to convert us. From a reconciled heart can spring unarmed words, new relationships and a peace capable of reaching even entire peoples.”

At his request, the cardinals had focused on Chapter 5 of his recently published encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas.” Leo commended them for “having grasped with great clarity” one of the encyclical’s insights, namely that “war is not merely a conflict between states. It arises much earlier, from a culture of power that permeates our way of thinking, of living in relationships, of exercising power and of using the economy, technology and even religion.”

He observed, “If this is the root of the crisis, the response calls for rebuilding a culture of cooperation and dialogue, capable of giving new strength to multilateralism as well, so that peoples may learn once again to seek together the common good of the entire human family.”

On this journey, he said, “the contribution of the lay faithful engaged in public life is essential: They need the closeness and support of the church community to live out the ‘political charity’ that you mentioned.”

He added, “This same culture of cooperation grows through ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, which does not diminish our Christian identity but enables it to serve both the common good and peace.”

The Augustinian pope said he found “particularly valuable” the way “some” cardinals “addressed the issue of nonviolent response in the face of the many forms of violence.” This “is a profoundly evangelical way of living out our place in history, the fruit of contemplating Jesus’ way of acting,” he said.

Such an approach, he said, does not consist in “adopting a passive attitude” toward violence, “but in choosing to confront it without reproducing its logic. It does not renounce the truth or remain silent in the face of evil, but it refuses to defend the truth through violence and to turn the other into an enemy: It begins by disarming oneself.”

In this way, he said, “it reveals the logic of Easter, in which love proves stronger than hatred and forgiveness breaks the cycle of vengeance. This is the power of the Risen Crucified One: a power that does not destroy the enemy but makes it possible to rediscover a brother.”

Noting that cardinals in several groups had “emphasized the need to continue exploring the topic of self-defense in light of the profound changes that have taken place in the nature of contemporary conflicts,” Leo said, “This reflection deserves to be further developed with the necessary theological and pastoral rigor.”

During the consistory, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, delivered a profoundly challenging speech on “The Culture of Power and the Civilization of Love” (Chapter 5 of “Magnifica Humanitas”) in which he also spoke at length about war, the “outdated” just war theory and the question of legitimate defense.

Leo also welcomed the cardinals’ emphasis on the church’s social doctrine and their desire that “it become ever more a living heritage of our communities, a standard for the formation of consciences and for pastoral discernment.” He said, “It educates the church in a Gospel-inspired way of engaging with reality, interpreting it and responsibly guiding action.”

Leo said, “We are living in a time when it is becoming difficult even to recognize what is truly good for everyone. For this reason, rooted in Christ, the church is called to foster spaces for encounter, listening and dialogue where a renewed culture of the common good can flourish. This also requires patient educational work, which helps us recognize the inviolable dignity of every person and the responsibility that binds us to one another. On this journey, the poor are not merely the recipients of our care, but protagonists of the hope that God continues to kindle throughout history.”

In their discussions, the cardinals had “pondered the church’s responsibilities in today’s world” and “repeatedly emphasized the importance of witness, closeness, the formation of consciences and the building of fraternal and credible communities,” he said.

Leo underlined that “this witness springs from an encounter with Christ, from his Word and from the sacraments, through which the Lord sustains his people and enables them to serve the world with the power of the Gospel,” adding, “The church is called to become ever more what she proclaims.”

Clearly happy at the outcome of this consistory, Pope Leo told the cardinals, “These days strengthen my hope—not only because of what we have shared, but because of the way in which we have done so. In an age marked by polarization, even the way in which the church listens and engages in dialogue becomes part of her proclamation. If we continue to seek the Lord’s will together, allowing ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit, I am certain that our communion will become ever more fruitful for the church’s mission and for service to the entire human family.”

He added, “I believe that, little by little, we are rediscovering the truest meaning of the consistory: the gathering of the College of Cardinals around the successor of Peter so that, through mutual listening and shared discernment, the Holy Spirit may help the pope to guide the church. Not a parliament, not a congress where opinions or interests prevail, but an experience of communion in the service of the mission.”

As he concluded his speech, he said, “This consistory was a precious moment, but it must not remain an isolated event. Throughout the church, we wish to foster spaces where the People of God can listen to one another, pray, discern and walk together. This is the heart of the process of implementing the synod. It will also be the spirit of the upcoming meeting dedicated to ‘Amoris Laetitia’ and of many other initiatives that the Lord will ask us to undertake. What matters is not multiplying the number of meetings, but learning to create encounters in which, by listening to one another, we learn together to listen to the Lord.”

When he finished speaking, Leo, who enjoys singing, intoned the “Te Deum” along with the cardinals. Afterward, he hosted a dinner for them in the Vatican. On Monday, the cardinals will join him again at Mass for the celebration of the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the martyrs and missionary patrons of the church of Rome.