Pope Leo XIV on June 27 thanked the College of Cardinals for their work during their two-day extraordinary consistory, highlighting their reflections on war, poverty, and social fragmentation as well as deeper wounds such as loneliness and loss of meaning.
The Pope said in his closing address that he was “particularly struck by the way [the cardinals] spoke about young people,” especially in their suffering that can at times lead “to the extreme despair of taking their own lives.”
“You have recognized one of the deepest wounds of our time,” he said, “yet you have also been able to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit [in their] search for authenticity, for genuine relationships, and for meaning.”
Addressing another of the world’s wounds — war — Leo XIV reiterated themes from his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas , warning that war stems from a broader “culture of power” affecting politics, economics, and even religion.
“War is born within us,” he said, but it is “precisely in the heart that peace is also decided.” It is in that same heart, he said, where Christ “continues to meet us, speak to us, and to convert us,” and he called for renewed commitment to dialogue,
