The Vatican\u2019s Vesak message urges religious leaders to promote an “unarmed and disarming” peace and avoid being “complicit through silence or fear” amid global divisions.<\/p>\n
The Vatican has called on religious leaders around the world to take an active role in promoting peace and urged them not to become \u201ccomplicit through silence or fear\u201d in the face of those who fuel division and confrontation.<\/p>\n
The appeal is contained in the message \u201cBuddhists and Christians for an \u2018Unarmed and Disarming\u2019 Peace,\u201d signed by Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and Monsignor Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage, secretary of the dicastery, for the Buddhist feast of Vesak.<\/p>\n
In the message, addressed to the Buddhist community and published Monday, May 11, the Vatican said religious leaders \u201care called to be authentic partners in dialogue and true agents of reconciliation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The text stressed that a passive attitude is not enough. Together with all believers, it said, \u201cwe are invited to become artisans of peace \u2014 not passive observers but courageous witnesses capable of fostering encounter, healing wounds, and rebuilding trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs citizens and believers, we share a responsibility to promote peace, challenge injustice, and urge those in positions of authority not to inflame division but to pursue dialogue over confrontation,\u201d the message said. \u201cWe must also guard against becoming complicit through silence or fear.\u201d<\/p>\n
A peace born in the heart<\/p>\n
The message, issued for Vesak \u2014 which commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha \u2014 reflected on the meaning of peace, defining it not merely as the absence of war but as \u201ca gift that seeks to dwell within the human heart\u201d and \u201ca quiet yet powerful presence that enlightens and transforms.\u201d<\/p>\n
The message cited Pope Leo XIV\u2019s words for the 2026 World Day of Peace: \u201cPeace exists; it wants to dwell within us. It has the gentle power to enlighten and expand our understanding; it resists and overcomes violence. Peace is a breath of the eternal: While to evil we cry out \u2018Enough,\u2019 to peace we whisper \u2018Forever.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Even when peace appears fragile, the Vatican message said, it \u201cmust be protected and nurtured.\u201d It described this peace as \u201can unarmed and disarming peace that does not rely on force but flows from truth, compassion, and mutual trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Facing the world\u2019s shadows<\/p>\n
The Vatican did not ignore the gravity of the current international context, marked by conflicts and growing tensions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot ignore the shadows weighing upon the world,\u201d the message said. \u201cWars, violence, rising ethno-religious nationalism, and the manipulation of religion continue to wound our common humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response, the Vatican emphasized the irreplaceable role of religious traditions, which it said \u201ccan offer a vital contribution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGoodness is truly disarming,\u201d the message said. \u201cIt breaks the cycle of suspicion and opens paths where none seemed possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buddhism and Christianity converge<\/p>\n
The message highlighted the deep harmony between Buddhist and Christian teachings on peace.<\/p>\n
It recalled the Buddha\u2019s teaching: \u201cHatred is never appeased by hatred; by non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is an eternal law.\u201d It also cited Jesus\u2019 command to \u201clove your enemies and pray for those who persecute you\u201d and his proclamation \u201cBlessed are the peacemakers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both traditions, the document said, point toward \u201ca peace that is lived \u2014 one that disarms hearts before it disarms hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
A concrete, daily commitment<\/p>\n
The message concluded with a call to translate these principles into concrete action, noting that peace is \u201clived daily \u2014 in gestures of kindness, in patience, in the refusal of hatred and vengeance, and in the courage to hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Far from being a utopia, the Vatican said, \u201cpeace is not an illusion or a distant ideal; it is a real possibility already placed within our reach, waiting to be welcomed and shared.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that spirit, the Vatican expressed hope that Buddhists and Christians may \u201cincreasingly become witnesses of this disarming peace \u2014 one that heals wounds, restores relationships, and opens new horizons for humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMay your celebration of Vesak be filled with serenity and joy, and may it inspire all of us to walk together on this path,\u201d the message concluded. \u201cWe wish you a blessed and fruitful celebration of Vesak!\u201d<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n