Barely a week after his historic election as the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV has made a stirring entrance onto the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), using his first public posts to issue a bold, urgent plea for global peace.
Posting from the official papal handle @Pontifex, the newly elected Pope released a series of five spiritually charged messages—each echoing the central theme of his first address as pontiff: a world without war, anchored in reconciliation, human dignity, and dialogue.
“There is so much violence and so many wars in our world!” read his opening message. “Amid this horror that should provoke outrage—as people die in the name of military conquest—stands the call of Christ, who repeats: ‘Peace be with you!’”
“War is never inevitable. Weapons can and must fall silent, for they never solve problems but only intensify them,” he continued in a subsequent post. “Others are not enemies to hate but human beings with whom to speak.”
By Wednesday, the account had garnered 63.5K followers, as Catholics and global observers alike began tuning in to what appears to be a defining tone for his papacy.
Pope Leo XIV—formerly Cardinal Matteo Zorzi, Archbishop of Venice—was elected by the College of Cardinals on May 7, 2025, following the resignation of Pope Francis, who stepped down due to health-related concerns after over a decade on the papal throne.
In his first public message from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV electrified the global Catholic community by calling for a new era of peace:
“No more war—not in Ukraine, not in Gaza, not in forgotten corners of Africa, not in our homes or hearts. Let Christ’s peace reign.”
That inaugural appeal has now been echoed and expanded upon in his social media debut, where he offered the Vatican’s services to mediate dialogue between warring nations:
“With heart in hand, I say to the leaders of nations: let us meet; let us dialogue; let us negotiate!”
His tone was simultaneously pastoral and political, making clear that his vision for the Church involves active engagement in healing global fractures.
He concluded the thread with a spiritual reflection on the wisdom of Eastern Christianity:
“The ancient, yet ever new spiritualities of the Christian East offer a healing balm… so that our lowliness never leads to despair but invites us to welcome grace.”
While the Vatican has historically been diplomatic in its global posture, Pope Leo XIV is signaling a more vocal, bridge-building approach—through both the pulpit and the platform.
And if his early messages are any guide, his reign may be defined by a resolute stand for peace in a world deeply hungry for it.