Pope Leo XIV addresses the members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, in The Vatican, on January 9, 2026. AFP PHOTO / VATICAN MEDIA
Pope Leo XIV warned that war was "back in vogue" and highlighted the "ambition of belligerents" on Friday, January 9, as his own country of birth, the United States, flexes its military muscles.
In a New Year's message to diplomats at the Vatican, his first since becoming head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics last May, Leo lamented the weakness of multilateralism, saying dialogue was being replaced by "diplomacy based on force."
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Leo XIV, a pope of balance and appeasement
