Pope Leo at Angelus: Pray for peace and for families suffering due to war

On Sunday, December 28, the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful to continue to pray for peace in the world, and especially for families that are suffering at the hands of violent conflicts.  

“In the light of the Lord's Christmas, let us continue to pray for peace. Today, in particular, let us pray for families suffering because of war, for children, the elderly, and the most vulnerable. Let us entrust ourselves together to the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth,” said Pope Leo XIV during the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

In his reflection, the Pope highlighted how Christian families can be a light in the society in which we live — which is not only marked by conflitcs but also by isolation and discord — by reflecting on the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt shortly after Jesus’ birth to escape King Herod’s persecution.

“Unfortunately, the world always has its 'Herods,' its myths of success at any cost, of unscrupulous power, of empty and superficial well-being, and it often pays the price in the form of loneliness, despair, divisions and conflicts,” Pope Leo said.

“Let us not allow these mirages to suffocate the flame of love in Christian families.”

He instead invited families to cherish the values of the Gospel by praying, receiving the sacraments — especially Confession and Communion — and promoting “healthy affections, sincere dialogue, fidelity, and the simple and beautiful concreteness of everyday words and gestures.”

He called them to become a “light of hope” and “a school of love and an instrument of salvation in God’s hands.”