Pope Leo says ‘war is back in vogue’ in major address to global envoys

(CNN) — Pope Leo XIV has said the prohibition on countries violating one another’s borders has been “completely undermined,” in an important speech to diplomats gathered in the Vatican.

The first United States-born pope, giving his debut “state of the world” address, expressed his concern about “escalating tensions” in the “Caribbean Sea and the American Pacific coast” while calling for the “will of the Venezuelan people” to be respected, and a return to stability in the country.

“War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,” Leo told ambassadors from across the globe gathered in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Friday. “The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined.”

Leo was speaking just less than a week after the US captured Venezuela’s leader, Nicholas Maduro, in a military raid and as Russia continues to show little desire to end its war with Ukraine. In his address, the American pope emphasized the importance of international law. His words made a striking contrast with those of US President Donald Trump who told the New York Times on Wednesday that he felt constrained only by his “own morality,” while dismissing international law and the post-World War II order.

Leo lamented the weakness of “multilateralism” – the idea of countries working together to solve problems – and insisted on the “importance of international humanitarian law” which he said must “always prevail over the ambitions of belligerents.” He pointed out that it was out of the tragedy of World War II that the United Nations was formed, for the safeguarding of peace, and warned that a diplomacy that “seeks consensus” is now being replaced by one “based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies.”

The Chicago-born pope spoke almost entirely in his native English for what was his first annual new year’s address to the international diplomatic corps who represent their countries to the Vatican. Leo, wearing the red papal mozetta, described the encounter as “a new experience for me,” as he addressed a gathering which included Brian Burch, the US Ambassador to the Holy See, and Franklin Mauricio Zeltzer Malpica, the Venezuelan ambassador.

During a wide-ranging, 43-minute speech, Leo issued strong condemnations of abortion, surrogacy and euthanasia, defending the right of conscientious objection by doctors and healthcare professionals, from those refusing to participate in terminations and assisted deaths to those declining military service.

The pope also lamented that, in the West, freedom of expression is “rapidly shrinking” and warned against “a new Orwellian-style language… which, in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fueling it.”

As he warned about rising conflict, Leo drew some parallels between the present day and the fifth century, citing Saint Augustine, the founder of the pope’s religious order, and his seminal theological and political work, “The City of God.” Leo said that society then, as now, was marked by migration, a shifting world order and a “change of era.”

The pope also reiterated his concern about the treatment of migrants, warning governments against using combating “criminality and human trafficking” as a pretext “for undermining the dignity of migrants and refugees.”

Leo’s address to diplomats comes as the pope is using the early part of 2026 to set down some clearer markers for his pontificate, including asking for greater input from the College of Cardinals in support of his leadership of the worldwide Catholic Church.

On January 8, the pope concluded a summit of the world’s cardinals, known as an “Extraordinary Consistory,” which saw them gathered for small-group discussions. The round-table style of the gathering – pioneered during large-scale assemblies organized by Pope Francis – signals Leo’s plan to continue his predecessor’s approach of seeking a more welcoming church, with leaders listening closely to Catholics in the pews.

“I’m here to listen,” Leo told the cardinals at the closed-door gathering, insisting that only a unified church can attract new believers. “This day-and-a-half together will point the way for our path ahead.”

The cardinals focused their discussions on evangelization and “synodality,” a renewal program initiated by Francis that has opened discussions about sensitive issues inside the Catholic Church — such as women’s ordination and the inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics. Leo has asked for the cardinals’ “considerations and priorities” on the two topics.

Cardinal Pablo David of the Philippines told reporters afterwards that it was “refreshing” to see the pope doing “more listening and talking” during the gathering and said Leo was “taking notes very, very seriously.”

And in a meditation at the start of the meeting, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, from the United Kingdom, described the Church as “shaken by her own storms, of sexual abuse and ideological division,” which must be faced “truthfully, not timidly.”

During his pontificate, Francis faced strong resistance from some conservative cardinals to some of his reforms, particularly on his loosening of rules banning divorced and remarried Catholics from communion and his welcome to gay Catholics. But the late pontiff also did not hold many formal meetings with the College of Cardinals, something which cardinals said a future pope should change during meetings held before the last conclave.

Leo has taken up that recommendation and plans to consult the worldwide body each year as he carries out what has been described as the “high and burdensome responsibility” of his office. The next meeting will be convened June 27 to 28 this year, after which it will take place over three to four days on an annual basis.

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