“As a Church, as a pastor, I cannot be in favour of war. And I would like to encourage everyone to make efforts to seek answers that come from a culture of peace, not of hatred and division”. With these words, Leo XIV opened the press conference on his return flight from Equatorial Guinea to Rome, at the conclusion of his first apostolic journey to the African continent. It was a dense exchange with the accompanying journalists, in which the Pontiff addressed the most pressing issues of our time: from negotiations between the United States and Iran to migration policies, from the death penalty to the unity of the Church. On the Middle Eastern front, Leo XIV was unequivocal: “The question is not whether there is regime change or not; the question is how to promote the values in which we believe without the death of so many innocent people”. The Pope described a situation that is “chaotic, critical for the global economy”, and revealed that he carries with him “a photo of a Muslim child who, during the visit to Lebanon, was there waiting with a sign saying ‘Welcome Pope Leo’, and was then killed in this latest phase of the war”.
Migration and death penalty: human dignity at the centre
The papal flight became an opportunity for a strong appeal on the issue of migration, ahead of the forthcoming journey to Spain. “A State has the right to regulate its borders”, but migrants “are human beings and we must treat human beings in a humane way, not treat them worse than animals, as often happens”, the Pope stated. This position directly challenges the policies of the Global North: “What is the Global North doing to help the Global South or those countries where young people today do not find a future and therefore live this dream of moving North?”. Leo XIV denounced the exploitation of the continent he had just left, where “Africa is seen by many as a place to extract minerals, to take its wealth for the benefit of others”. Equally firm was his judgement on capital punishment, prompted by a question on executions in Iran: “I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment”. “Human life is to be respected”, and also the lives “of all people, from conception to natural death, must be respected and protected”, the Pontiff stressed, also defending the quiet work of Vatican diplomacy: “There is a great deal of work that takes place behind the scenes to promote
justice, to promote humanitarian causes, to look for situations where there are political prisoners and find a way to have them released”.
Unity of the Church and assessment of the African journey
On Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s decision to allow the blessing of same-sex couples in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Leo XIV set out a clear line: “The unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters”. The Pope recalled that “the Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formalised blessing of homosexual couples or couples in irregular situations, beyond what was specifically allowed for by Pope Francis in saying that all people receive blessings”. To go beyond that today, he warned, may cause “more disunity than unity”. And he referred to his predecessor’s legacy: “Francis’ famous expression ‘tutti, tutti, tutti’ is an expression of the Church’s belief that all are welcome, all are invited to follow Jesus, and all are invited to look for conversion in their lives”. The assessment of his first African journey is summed up in one word: “blessing”. “I am very happy with the whole journey, but to live, to accompany, to walk with the people of Equatorial Guinea has truly been a blessing”, the Pope said, emphasising the essentially pastoral nature of the mission: “Very often the interest is more political: what does the Pope say about this or that issue? But that is not the first word”. Regarding future journeys, Leo XIV confirmed his “great desire to visit various countries in Latin America”, while not giving dates: “So far nothing is confirmed, we shall see. Let us wait”.
