Meeting with representatives of various religions in the French city of Metz, Pope Leo XIV praises efforts to engage in interreligious dialogue, recalling that God’s name must never be invoked to justify violence or oppression.
By Devin Watkins
Pope Leo XIV held an interreligious meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Center in Metz, on the final day of his Apostolic Journey to France.
In his address, the Pope recalled the legacy of Venerable Schuman, one of the founders of the European Union.
Calling him a “man of faith and conviction,” he said Venerable Schuman became an ambassador of unity in diversity and was able to turn divisions into “bridges of hope.”
“Following his example,” said the Pope, “our shared responsibility as men and women of faith is to bear witness that, beyond all borders, it is always possible to meet one another, forge friendships, and seek peace.”
Pope Leo recalled the late Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti and his call for dialogue among religions to establish friendship and peace.
“Dialogue does not diminish our identity, but expresses it with simplicity and truth by opening it to the diversity of the other,” said Pope Leo.
Dialogue, he added, is “an art of encounter” which our world greatly needs, as it is the opposite of aggression and violence.
“To invoke God’s name in order to justify violence or oppression is to profane His name,” he said. “Nothing that disfigures human dignity can claim to be inspired by God.”
The Pope appealed to the personal responsibility of all believers to engage in religious discourse that calls for “the disarmament of hearts and words.”
Religions are the guardians of life, since they affirm life’s sacred value, he said, noting that religions bear visible fruit when their adherents stand alongside those who are most vulnerable and fragile.
“The greatness of a civilization is not measured by its material achievements, but by the way it cares for, protects, and upholds the human person,” he said.
Serving life, he added, means surrounding it with “care, presence, and tenderness” until its natural end, especially in times of trial, building communion that respects the dignity of every human person.
Pope Leo XIV then assured the religious representatives gathered in Metz that the Catholic Church considers all who “sincerely seek truth, goodness, and beauty as companions on the journey.”
“May the infinite goodness and wisdom of God accompany us and teach us to live ever more fully as His children and as brothers and sisters to one another.”
