Pope Leo XIV Urges Religious Leaders to Preach Peace at Metz Gathering

Pope Leo XIV used an inter-religious gathering in the eastern French city of Metz on Monday to call on religious leaders to spread messages of peace and unity, as he closed out a four-day visit to France.

The pontiff appeared alongside leaders of other faiths at a conference centre named after Robert Schuman, the French Catholic statesman widely regarded as a founding figure of European unity. The venue sits in a city close to France's borders with Luxembourg and Germany.

Addressing the audience from the stage, Leo warned that using God's name to justify violence or oppression amounts to a desecration of that name. Nothing that diminishes human dignity, he said, can claim authentic divine inspiration, and religious discourse must consistently press for what he described as the disarmament of hearts and words.

During the meeting, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline signed the "Appeal of Metz" and handed the document to a young boy and a young girl. The pope was also seen shaking hands with the religious leaders present.

On the last day of his trip, Leo sought to emphasise Europe's tradition of dialogue as a way of confronting present-day challenges, including war, migration and polarisation. He invoked the forces of dialogue that helped drive the continent's integration after the Second World War.