Cardinal Tobin: Let us not forget that peace is possible!

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

It has only been a month since Pope Leo XIV returned from his first Apostolic Journey to Türkiye and Lebanon. Alongside his brother Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and Representatives of other Christian confessions, the pope and his fellow pilgrims gathered in Iznik to pray together at the site of the ancient city of Nicaea, where 1700 years ago, the first Ecumenical Council was held.

In Türkiye, our Holy Father met with the local Catholic community. “Through patient dialogue and service to those who suffer,” he said, “they witness to the Gospel of love and the logic of God who manifests himself in littleness.”

In Lebanon, which Pope Leo describes as “a mosaic of coexistence,” the Holy Father met people who spread the Gospel by welcoming refugees, visiting prisoners, and sharing food with those in need. He said he was “comforted by the sight of so many people in the street who came to greet me,” and he was especially moved by his meeting with families of victims of the explosion at the Port of Beirut. “The Lebanese people were waiting for a word and a presence of consolation,” Pope Leo said, “but it was they who comforted me with their faith and their enthusiasm!”

Pope Leo’s reflections on his first Apostolic Journey include this very powerful admonition to all who long for justice and peace in our time:

Dear brothers and sisters, all that has happened in these recent days in Türkiye and Lebanon teaches us that peace is possible, and that Christians in dialogue with men and women of other faiths and cultures can contribute to building it up.  Let us not forget that peace is possible!”

The simple statement “peace is possible” can seem incredibly naïve. Given the ongoing wars in Ukraine, the Middle East, Africa, and many other regions worldwide, how is it possible to believe that peace—understood as more than just a temporary stop to fighting—is achievable now or ever?

Continue reading Cardinal Tobin’s latest newsletter.