By Benedict Rogers in The Tablet
Building his speech around the theological and philosophical moral values set out by St Augustine in his 410 AD magnum opus The City of God – hardly surprising for an Augustinian pontiff who had served two terms as head of the Augustinian order – Leo spoke eloquently about the vital values of human dignity, human rights, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion in the world today.
“The City of God does not propose a political programme,” Pope Leo said. “Instead, it offers valuable reflections on fundamental issues concerning social and political life, such as the search for a more just and peaceful coexistence among peoples. Augustine also warns of the grave dangers to political life arising from false representations of history, excessive nationalism and the distortion of the ideal of the political leader.”
It is not difficult to see the relevance of Augustine’s writings 1,600 years ago to the world today, and Leo was quick to draw on the similarities of our times. “We are now, as then, in an era of widespread migratory movements; as then, we are living at a time of a profound readjustment of geopolitical balances and cultural paradigms; as then, we are, in Pope Francis’ well-known expression, not in an era of change but in a change of era,” he told the assembled diplomats.
In his wide-ranging remarks, the Pope shared his concerns about “the weakness of multilateralism”, the replacement of “a diplomacy that promotes dialogue” with “a diplomacy based on force”, the undermining of the principle of sovereignty, the threats to the rule of law, and the fact that “war is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading”.
Peace, he added, is “no longer sought as a gift and a desirable good in itself”, but instead is sought through weapons “as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion”.
While he was careful not to name them, it is a fair assumption that he had three world leaders particularly in mind. His speech was a rebuke to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, a warning against Xi Jinping’s threats to Taiwan, and an appeal to his fellow American Donald Trump about how to wield US power and influence.
One of the most powerful passages of the speech – especially for those of us who work in the field of human rights – was Pope Leo’s robust defence of the importance of international humanitarian law. Compliance with this, he said,
“cannot depend on mere circumstances and military or strategic interests”. It is a commitment which states have made and must abide by. “Such law must always prevail over the ambitions of belligerents, in order to mitigate the devastating effects of war, also with a view to reconstruction,” he argued.
His words carry particular force when we reflect on the era of horror which led to the establishment of the Geneva Conventions, the modern incarnation of international humanitarian law. The Geneva Conventions were agreed upon in the aftermath of the atrocities of World War II and the Holocaust—a moment in history where the world vowed “never again” to allow for such war without limits, and its resulting mass murder.
Having worked on Myanmar for over 25 years, travelled many times in its war zones, and receiving almost daily reports of the illegal ruling military junta’s airstrikes against civilians, Pope Leo’s next sentence was particularly striking – and welcome. “We cannot ignore that the destruction of hospitals, energy infrastructure, homes and places essential to daily life constitutes a severe violation of international humanitarian law,” he said.
My colleagues in Fortify Rights have recently documented the appalling consequences of the junta’s airstrikes in Myanmar – including against hospitals, homes, schools and places of worship – in two new reports, Crashing Down on Us and Horrific Sight to Witness.
The Pope’s words feel painfully apposite. He reiterated the Holy See’s condemnation of the targeting of civilians and called on the international community to remember its responsibility to protect human dignity and the sanctity of life. And he set out a challenge to the United Nations, to live up to its record and role in fostering dialogue and ensuring humanitarian support to those in need.
Finally, the Pope spoke about freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of religion, with a warning to the West not to abandon its commitment to freedom of expression. And he emphasised that as the Church speaks out for the rights of Christians around the world, “the Holy See asks the same for all other religious communities”.
That is a message from which every persecuted Rohingya in Myanmar, every persecuted Uyghur, Tibetan Buddhist and Falun Gong practitioner in China, every persecuted Ahmadiyya in Pakistan, and every persecuted Baha’i in Iran, as well as others facing persecution around the world, should take comfort.
Nevertheless quite rightly, Leo also noted that “it cannot be overlooked that the persecution of Christians remains one of the most widespread human rights crises today, affecting over 380 million believers worldwide … one in seven Christians globally”. In 2025, he added, the persecution of Christians worsened, due to conflicts, authoritarianism and religious extremism.
In the final segment of his speech, Pope Leo spoke movingly about Ukraine, Gaza and the Holy Land, Venezuela, Haiti, the Great Lakes region of Africa, Sudan, and Myanmar. His remarks on each of these tragedies are welcome. But there was one significant part of the world which was conspicuous by its absence.
Pope Francis was known for regularly speaking about justice, human rights and peace in one corner of the world or another. Almost every Sunday as he prayed the Angelus from his window over St Peter’s Square in Rome, Francis would pray for different persecuted and suffering people. The one part of the world that was almost never mentioned was China, one of the world’s most egregious violators of human rights and persecutors of religious communities.
Pope Leo has in recent months, to his credit, taken some small steps in a better direction. At a General Audience last October, he received the wife and daughter of jailed 78 year-old Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, a prominent Catholic and British citizen who has been in solitary confinement for the past five years and faces the prospect of dying in prison.
And in an interview last year he revealed that he is listening to “a significant group of Chinese Catholics who for many years have lived some kind of oppression or difficulty in living their faith freely”. This is very welcome – but he should go further.
In his “State of the World” address, the Pope made a discrete, implicit reference to the threats posed by China to Taiwan and in the South China Sea, and by North Korea – not by name, but by inference.
“We cannot fail to mention the intensifying signs of tension in East Asia, and to express hope that all parties involved will adopt a peaceful and dialogue-based approach to the contentious issues that are a source of potential conflict,” he said.
This message is welcome – but why, when he names other parts of the world, is he reluctant to name China?
When he spoke of the 380 million Christians worldwide facing persecution, why would he not call out the crackdown currently underway in China, especially given the repeated breaches by Beijing of its secret concordat with the Vatican?
Nevertheless, overall this was a beautiful and powerful message, a gentle but sharp challenge to the world’s powers and multilateral institutions, and an inspiring and timely reminder of the relevance of the thinking of St Augustine to today’s troubled world.
Pope Leo ended by reminding us that this year marks the eighth century of the death of St Francis of Assisi, whose
“life shines brightly, for it was inspired by the courage to live in truth, and the knowledge that a peaceful world is built starting with humble hearts turned towards the heavenly city.”
In a world of turmoil, conflict, hatred, war, rumours of war and the fear of war, we would do well to reflect on Leo’s message and seek what he calls “a humble and peace-loving heart”, this year and always.
This article was originally published in The Tablet, and also published on Fortify Rights.
