Pope Leo criticises ‘exclusionary mindset’ of nationalist political movements
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Pope Leo criticizes political nationalism and prays for reconciliation and dialogue
Pope Leo XIV criticizes political nationalism and prays for reconciliation and dialogue. The pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square in front of tens of thousands faithful. He asked the Holy Spirit to “break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred” The pope also condemned wars, which “are plaguing our world,” and asked for “the gift of peace”
toggle caption Andrew Medichini/AP
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV criticized the surge of nationalist political movements in the world as he prayed Sunday for reconciliation and dialogue — a message in line with his pledges to make the Catholic Church a symbol of peace.
The pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square in front of tens of thousands faithful, and asked the Holy Spirit to “break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred.”
“Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms,” the first American pontiff said.
Sponsor Message
He did not name any specific country or politician.
Leo also recalled the words of late Pope Francis, who — on the feast of Pentecost in May 2023 — observed that in our world “we are all connected, yet find ourselves disconnected from one another, anaesthetized by indifference and overwhelmed by solitude.”
The pope also condemned wars, which “are plaguing our world,” and asked the Holy Spirit for “the gift of peace.”
“First of all, peace in our hearts, for only a peaceful heart can spread peace in the family, society and international relations,” Leo said, then prayed for reconciliation and dialogue wherever there is war in the world.
Soon after becoming pope, Leo pledged to work for unity and peace. His first message, “Peace be with you all,” set the importance of peace as a pillar of his papacy.
He has also appealed for a genuine and just peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza.
Pope Leo criticises ‘exclusionary mindset’ of nationalist political movements
Leo, the first pope from the US, asked during a mass on Sunday with tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square that God “open borders, break down walls [and] dispel hatred” “There is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms,” he said.
Leo, the first pope from the US, asked during a mass on Sunday with tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square that God “open borders, break down walls [and] dispel hatred”.
“There is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms,” he said.
The pontiff said the church “must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race”.
“People must move “beyond our fear of those who are different,” he said, saying the Holy Spirit “breaks down barriers and tears down the walls of indifference and hatred”.
Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on 8 May to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4 billion-member church.
Before becoming pontiff, Prevost was not shy about criticising Donald Trump, sharing numerous disapproving posts about the US president and the vice-president, JD Vance, on X in recent years.
The Vatican has not confirmed the pope’s ownership of the X account, which had the handle @drprevost, and was deactivated after his election.
Francis, who was pope for 12 years, was a sharp critic of Trump. He said in January that the president’s plan to deport millions of migrants in the US during his second term was a disgrace. He had previously said Trump was not Christian because of his views on immigration.
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” he said when asked about Trump in 2016.
Leo was celebrating a mass for Pentecost, one of the church’s most important holidays.
Pope criticises nationalism and prays for reconciliation
The Pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square in front of tens of thousands of faithful. He asked the Holy Spirit to “break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred’ He declared: “Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice” The Pope also condemned wars which “are plaguing our world’
The Pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square in front of tens of thousands of faithful, and asked the Holy Spirit to “break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred”.
He declared: “Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms.”
ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement
He did not name any specific country or politician.
The Pope greeted a young girl as he arrived to celebrate Mass on Sunday (Andrew Medichini/AP)
Leo also recalled the words of late Pope Francis, who – on the feast of Pentecost in May 2023 – observed that in our world “we are all connected, yet find ourselves disconnected from one another, anaesthetised by indifference and overwhelmed by solitude”.
The Pope also condemned wars which “are plaguing our world”, and asked the Holy Spirit for “the gift of peace”.
He told the faithful: “First of all, peace in our hearts, for only a peaceful heart can spread peace in the family, society and international relations.”
He then prayed for reconciliation and dialogue wherever there is war in the world.
ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement
Soon after becoming Pope, Leo pledged to work for unity and peace. His first message: “Peace be with you all,” set the importance of peace as a pillar of his papacy.
He has also appealed for a genuine and just peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza.
Pope Leo XIV emphasizes unity, social justice during Pentecost celebrations
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Pentecost on Sunday, June 8, in St. Peter’s Square. During his homily, the pope criticized political movements that he said foster division. Pope Leo expressed gratitude to his fellow cardinals, bishops and representatives of ecclesial associations, movements and communities.
“Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms,” Pope Leo said.
The pontiff prayed for unity and fraternity in the world, celebrating the Mass alongside cardinals, bishops and priests dressed in red vestments to symbolize the fire of the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles on Pentecost.
Before concluding, Pope Leo expressed gratitude to his fellow cardinals, bishops and representatives of ecclesial associations, movements and communities in Rome for their presence and witness of faith.
On Saturday, June 7, the pope joined 70,000 people in St. Peter’s Square for a prayer vigil. He listened to testimonies from individuals affected by crises in Gaza, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo before delivering a homily that received extended applause.
Churches worldwide marked Pentecost with prayer, hymns and gatherings focused on themes of unity and spiritual growth. Many communities used the occasion to reaffirm commitments to helping the disadvantaged, emphasizing the link between faith and social justice — a principle Pope Leo highlighted in his message.
Pope Leo XIV criticises nationalist politics at Sunday mass
Pope Leo called for God to “open borders, break down walls [and] dispel hatred” He was addressing a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square. Leo was elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church. He is the first pope to come from the United States. Before becoming pope, Prevost was not shy about criticising US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance on X.
Leo, the first pope to come from the United States, asked during a mass with a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square for God to “open borders, break down walls [and] dispel hatred”.
“There is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms,” the pontiff said.
He was celebrating a mass for Pentecost, one of the church’s most important holidays.
The pope addressed a crowd of tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square. (Reuters: Remo Casilli)
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church.
Before becoming pope, Prevost was not shy about criticising US President Donald Trump, sharing numerous disapproving posts about Mr Trump and Vice-President JD Vance, a Catholic, on X in recent years.
The Vatican has not confirmed the new pope’s ownership of the X account in question, which had the handle @drprevost and was deactivated after Leo’s election.
Pope Leo, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, has criticised Donald Trump in the past. (Reuters: Guglielmo Mangiapane)
Francis, who served as pope for 12 years, was also a sharp critic of Mr Trump.
The late pope said in January that the president’s plan to deport millions of migrants in the US during his second term was a “disgrace”, and had previously said Mr Trump was “not Christian” because of his views on immigration.
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” Francis said when asked about Mr Trump in 2016.
Mr Vance last month extended an invitation to the new pope to visit the US, and the pope was heard to say a visit will happen “at some point”.
Reuters