Pope Leo delivered a poignant message during a Saturday vigil for peace, condemning the “illusion of all-powerfulness” that he believes is driving conflict.

Speaking at a prayer service held in St. Peter’s Basilica, he remarked, “Through prayer, our finite human capacities connect with God’s limitless potential. This unity transforms our thoughts, words, and actions, breaking the evil’s vicious cycle and aligning them with the service of God’s Kingdom.”

He elaborated on this vision, “A realm devoid of swords, drones, revenge, trivialization of wrongdoing, and unjust gains. Instead, it is a place of dignity, understanding, and forgiveness. Within this Kingdom lies the defense against the illusion of all-powerfulness that increasingly surrounds us, becoming more unpredictable and aggressive.”

In a series of messages on X and during the vigil, the Pope emphasized the divisive nature of war, contrasting it with the unifying power of hope and faith.

Pope Leo XIV leads a peace vigil within the historic walls of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday. (Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo)

“Let us forsake the worship of self and wealth. Let us put an end to the show of strength. Let us cease from war,” he urged. “True power lies in serving life.”

The archbishop of Tehran, Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, was among those in the pews.

Leo’s words came on the same day the Vice President JD Vance and a U.S. delegation began face-to-face talks with Iran amid an uneasy ceasefire.

They were some of the first American pontiff’s strongest words yet after he called President Donald Trump’s threat against Iran on Tuesday “truly unacceptable.”  

“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” the pope said earlier this week. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population.”

Pope Leo XIV speaks to the media on the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, as he leaves the papal residence to head back to the Vatican, April 7, in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

Trump had written on Truth Social “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

Hours later, the president announced a two-week ceasefire subject to Iran agreeing to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote in another post.

As the high-stakes talks began on Saturday is Islamabad, Trump told reporters outside of the White House: “We win regardless of what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t.”

Islamabad host peace talks between Iran and the U.S. on Saturday. (Farooq Naeem / AFP via Getty Images)

For more than a month, the pope limited his remarks to muted appeals for peace, but in his Easter blessing last Sunday, he urged “those with weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.”

Leo also invoked what he said were the final words that Pope Francis issued to the world from the same balcony one year ago, during which the late pontiff warned of a “globalization of indifference.”

“What a great thirst for death, for killing we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world,” Leo said, quoting Francis.

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