Pope: Start today to build a year of peace

By Kielce Gussie

Greeting around 40,000 people gathered in Saint Peter’s Square on the first day of 2026, Pope Leo XIV extended his heartfelt wishes for peace and every good to them. He also shared his best wishes to the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.

In his words following the recitation of the Angelus prayer, the Pope pointed out that for the last 58 years—at the wish of Pope Saint Paul VI in 1968—January 1st has been celebrated as the World Day of Peace. In his own message for that day, Pope Leo recalled the greeting “the Lord suggested” to him after being elected to the papacy: “Peace be with you all!” 

This peace, he continued, “is unarmed and disarming, which comes from God, a gift of his unconditional love, and is entrusted to our responsibility.”

Call to a new year of peace

With this responsibility, the Holy Father challenged everyone, with Christ’s grace, to start today to “build a year of peace, disarming our hearts and refraining from all violence.”

He acknowledged that many people and organizations around the world already dedicate themselves to ending violence and have created countless initiatives for building peace. Specifically, the Pope highlighted a national march which took place on the evening of 31 December in Catania, Italy, as well as a march to be held by members of the Community of Sant’Egidio.

Finally, he took a moment to greet students and teachers from Richland, New Jersey, in the United States.

Recalling the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, Pope Leo closed his Angelus greetings with the Saint's blessing taken from Sacred Scripture: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

The Pope added his own wishes that Mary, the Mother of God “guide us on our journey in the new year.”