Leo XIV to Cardinals: “I need your support”

Vatican City - This morning, at the Altar of the Confession beside the tomb of Saint Peter, and on the eve of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Leo XIV opened the Consistory by celebrating Mass. It was an opening that offers the key to understanding all that will follow over the coming days. The Pope made his position clear in words that leave no room for misunderstanding, recalling humanity’s responsibility in the face of the conflicts tearing the human family apart: “War is never worthy of man, nor is it ever blessed by God, because the Creator has given us intelligence and will to resolve conflicts as human beings, rather than as beasts, perhaps equipped with highly advanced weapons.” That conviction framed the Pope’s homily, which was built around three guiding principles offered to the cardinals as criteria for discernment: authentic freedom shared in faith, peace in unity, and harmony in obedience to the Word. All three converge on one point: the magnifica humanitas that …