The Pope Links Wars to Environmental Degradation

On the occasion of the 11th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Leo XIV has released his message for September 1, in which it calls for redirecting resources allocated to wars toward protecting the planet and promoting holistic human development.

The Ecological Impact of Armed Conflicts

Under the slogan inspired by the prophet Isaiah, «They shall beat their swords into plowshares» (Isaiah 2:4), the Pontiff denounces the fact that today’s world is mired in efforts aimed at violence, while the disruption of nature’s balance is accelerating.

In the document, signed on August 15, Leo XIV warns that war leaves behind «social and ecological destruction that lasts for generations.» As he explains, armed conflicts and environmental degradation create vicious cycles that pollute essential resources such as air and water, undermining food security and perpetuating poverty. For this reason, he asserts that war constitutes «a counter-testimony to the Gospel of peace» and represents a failure not only political, but «also moral and spiritual.».

The Root Cause of the Environmental Crisis

The Holy Father emphasizes that discord, violence, and ecological damage are not simply the result of imperfect structures, but are the «symptom of a profound dichotomy rooted in humanity itself.».

Quoting Benedict XVI, the Pope recalls that «external deserts are multiplying in the world because internal deserts have spread.» In this regard, he maintains that lasting peace and a genuine ecological conversion require a profound transformation of the human heart, the place where the struggle «between love and indifference, truth and illusion, justice and injustice» is waged.

Redirecting the energy of war

León XIV calls on the international community to envision a world where the efforts devoted to the destruction of war are channeled into «the fight against poverty, the protection of human dignity, and the reconciliation of divided peoples.».

He also emphasizes that the true tools for building peace are not weapons, but «truth, dialogue, patience, kindness, justice, mercy, understanding, care, and love.».

«We will move forward slowly but steadily, from the desert to the garden, from division to communion, and from violence to peace,» the Pontiff concludes in his message.