Echoes of Hope from the Vatican

Pope Leo XVI continues the tradition started by his predecessor Francis of responding to letters from readers of the magazine – Piazza San Pietro – published by the Vatican Basilica and directed by Father Enzo Fortunato. In the July issue, dedicated to the Jubilee of Youth, Prevost begins by talking about peace. This time it is the voice of Zaira, a young mother from Benevento with three children who questions the future and peace: ‘What will happen if everything is swept away by war?’ The pontiff’s response is simple and clear: ‘Yours is a cry that reaches the heart of God. It is built in the heart and from the heart.’ He continues: ‘We insist on dialogue at every level, to promote a true culture of encounter and not of confrontation, and also the limitation of power, as our beloved predecessor Pope Francis always asked.’ Pope Leo then challenges to ‘know how to combine prayer with the necessary courageous actions and with the laborious patience of small steps. War will not prevail. And children have the right to an authentic, just, and lasting peace.’