From John Paul II to Leo: How popes gather the globe to confront war

"The peace that Jesus gives us is not merely the silence of weapons, but the peace that touches and transforms the heart of each one of us," Pope Leo said just a week ago at his Easter Urbi et Orbi blessing.

He invited all Christians to join a "prayer vigil for peace" this Saturday. During this event, he will pray that God may “grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil."

Open to the faithful and to be broadcast by Vatican media, this time of prayer will continue a tradition regularly upheld by popes.

Pope Leo XIV himself has already on another occasion called the faithful to specific prayer for peace. At the end of his general audience last September 24, he called on the faithful to pray the Rosary for peace every day throughout October. He also announced that he would personally preside over a prayer service on October 11, 2025, in St. Peter's Square for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality.

That date coincided with the liturgical memorial of St. John XXIII and the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Standing before the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, the Pope emphasized that peace "is not deterrence, but fraternity; it is not an ultimatum, but dialogue. Peace will not come as the result of victories over the enemy, but as the fruit of sowing justice and courageous forgiveness."

With Saturday's initiative, Leo steps again into a tradition that has deeply marked recent pontificates.

During the most dramatic moments of recent decades, the Successor of Peter has consistently turned to the maternal figure of Mary, entrusting humanity's destiny to her in its darkest hours.

On February 2, 1991, Pope John Paul II took a firm stand against the Gulf War. At the time, the conflict enjoyed a strong apparent consensus among Western countries. American President George H.W. Bush had successfully mobilized a vast coalition against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. This included France, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia, alongside unexpected allies like Syria and Senegal.

"As men and as Christians, we must not get used to the idea that all this is inevitable, and our souls must not give in to the temptation of indifference and fatalistic resignation, almost as if men cannot help but be involved in the spiral of war," the Polish Pontiff said. His words carried the weight of someone who had grown up marked by war: He had been personally and deeply marked by World War II, which turned his native Poland into a martyred nation.

Ten years later, following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the Twin Towers in New York, Pope John Paul II proclaimed December 14 a day of fasting and prayer. He implored God to grant the world "a stable peace, founded on justice" and to allow "suitable solutions to be found for the many conflicts" shaking the globe.

Then, amid the buildup of Western military strikes on Syria and warnings to the Assad regime of a "red line" that wasn't to be crossed, Pope Francis organized a long, intense prayer vigil in St. Peter's Square on September 7, 2013, praying for Syria, the Middle East, and the world. The leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France — Barack Obama, David Cameron, and François Hollande, respectively — ultimately called off their planned military intervention.

In a completely different context, on March 25, 2022 — one month after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — Pope Francis led a service in St. Peter's Basilica, attended by the ambassadors of both Ukraine and Russia.

"In union with the Bishops and faithful of the world, I desire in a solemn way to bring all that we are presently experiencing to the Immaculate Heart of Mary," the Pope declared on the feast of the Annunciation. "I wish to renew to her the consecration of the Church and the whole of humanity, and to consecrate to her in a particular way the Ukrainian people and the Russian people who, with filial affection, venerate her as a Mother"

This Saturday's vigil will be subdued, centering around the recitation of the Rosary, though the Pope may deliver a meditation. However, it takes on special significance as the world faces the risk of an escalating conflict in the Middle East, a wavering ceasefire, contradictory announcements, and a very uncertain path forward.

Shortly after a ceasefire was announced between the United States and Iran, massive strikes hit Lebanon, leaving more than 300 dead.