Leo XIV backs interfaith appeal calling religions ‘privileged path’ to peace

METZ, France (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV attended the signing of an interreligious appeal Monday in which the president of the French Bishops’ Conference signed a joint spiritual pact alongside non-Christian religious leaders.

On September 28, Pope Leo XIV gathered with Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Protestant, and Orthodox representatives at the Robert Schuman Conference Center to attend the signing ceremony and receive the signatories’ pledge of commitment to the “Metz Appeal,” an interreligious declaration committing the Catholic Church to shared spiritual and educational goals with non-Christian religions.

The document was signed on behalf of the Catholic Church by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the French Bishops’ Conference, as well as Chems-Eddine Hafiz, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris; Haïm Korsia, chief rabbi of France; Antony Boussemart, co-president of the French Buddhist Union; Christian Krieger, president of the Protestant Federation of France; and Bishop Dimitrios, president of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of France.

“We attest that the search for peace, non-violence, and care for others are deeply inscribed, in their own specific ways, within each of our religious traditions,” the appeal states.

Alongside the “inalienable dignity” of all people, the document’s signatories committed themselves to uphold that “religions offer a privileged path toward that ‘disarmed and disarming peace’ to which His Holiness Pope Leo XIV calls us.”

🔴 À présent, chaque représentant des différents cultes vient signer la “déclaration de Metz”, cette déclaration commune pour un appel au “dialogue, à la fraternité, à la réconciliation et à la paix”. Le texte est ensuite remis à des enfants. pic.twitter.com/7xAtuQe9U9

— franceinfo (@franceinfo) September 28, 2026

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“We, the leaders of religions in France … affirm our desire to serve together the entire human family,” the declaration begins. “Aware of our profound interdependence … faithful to our respective traditions and with respect for each other … we are convinced that religions bear a special responsibility to build and maintain peace in the world, and especially here in Europe.”

“Peace cannot be reduced to the absence of war. It cannot be sustainable without justice, without respect for human dignity, without solidarity between peoples and generations, and without shared attention to the preservation of our common home,” the declaration continues. “We know from experience that dialogue, prayer, meditation and different forms of spiritual practice open paths to peace.”

Finally, the interreligious appeal explains the goal that such “dialogue” aims to achieve, namely “that every human person is clothed with an inalienable dignity. Our respective traditions invite us to welcome the other not as a threat but as a brother or sister in humanity. As believers of different religions, we call on our communities to develop a culture of welcome and fraternity.”

“We are different in our religious convictions, but we are united by the responsibility to serve together the peace in the world and respect for the dignity of every human person,” the religious leaders declared before Pope Leo XIV.

Consequently, the religious leaders committed themselves to three main goals. First, “to assiduously pursue a demanding dialogue;” second, to “continue to train our younger generations in mutual knowledge of our traditions,” and third, to “stand together, including in adversity, to work to promote justice and peace.”

The ceremony was opened with an address by Leo XIV, who said:

Dialogue does not diminish our identity, but expresses it with simplicity and truth by opening it to the diversity of the other. As my predecessor Pope Francis wrote, “Dialogue between the followers of different religions does not take place simply for the sake of diplomacy, consideration or tolerance … the goal of dialogue is to establish friendship, peace and harmony”

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“If the fruitfulness of religious traditions is seen above all in their service of peace and fraternity, it is also expressed in their ability to protect, accompany and serve life.… Religions are guardians of life, for they affirm its sacred value,” the Pope added.

According to Traditional Catholic doctrine, lasting peace among nations cannot be achieved through dialogue or diplomatic agreements, since the root cause of conflict is sin and humanity’s rebellion against God. True peace is understood as the fruit of justice, and justice can only be fully realized when individuals and societies submit themselves to the sovereignty of Christ the King. Catholic teaching thus maintains that enduring peace will be the result of the conversion of peoples and nations to Christ, from whom all unity and concord proceed.