In this particular and dramatic historical moment, Pope Francis’ quotes on peace represent a beacon of hope for all of Christianity.
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Never before, in these past days, has the need for words that inspire peace and love been so strongly felt. On the one hand, because Easter is near, and no Christian feast tells in a more poignant and solemn way the immense sacrifice of love of a single Man, who gave Himself up to offer hope to all humanity, making His body and blood an instrument and symbol of peace between God and man, an emblem of a new covenant. But if today we wish to quote Pope Francis‘ words on peace, it is also because the conflict unfolding in Ukraine has forcefully awakened in us, on the one hand, the awareness of the pain that war, in all its forms, brings, and on the other, an overwhelming desire to oppose violence and barbarism with words of love and hope.

That God is love is something we learn from childhood when we are introduced to the story of Jesus and His sacrifice. But God is also peace, a God of peace who abhors violence in all its forms and preaches love and mercy among men. All the Holy Scriptures are filled with invitations to peace, with promises of peace—a peace that recalls the perfection of Eden, the Paradise God intended for His beloved children before they fell into sin. “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6-7), we read in Isaiah, and within this vision lies the very essence of a world that has always desperately sought peace and has, at the same time, always been torn apart by war.
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Jesus preached love and peace during His brief mortal life. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27), He tells His Apostles on the evening of Easter, and these are not mere words of goodwill, but a real proclamation, foretelling Salvation.
But how is Peace achieved? Through courage, will, and a spirit of sacrifice—not only by the powerful of the Earth but by every single man, in every single nation. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). And truly, the meaning of these words resonates in Pope Francis’ quotes on peace and in the desperate appeals the Holy Pontiff is making in this period to all men, urging them to put an end to all conflicts. The Pope’s statements against war and his prayers for world peace are emblematic of the terrible historical moment we are living through.
Quotes on Peace by Pope Francis
At the beginning of the year, Pope Francis had issued his call for fraternity and solidarity among all peoples in his prayer intentions for 2022. Ironically, we now find ourselves speaking of war, witnessing shocking images broadcast daily by the media—scenes we struggle to recognise as possible among men of our time. Yet, war is not only the one currently raging between Russia and Ukraine. Across the world, wars have been fought since time immemorial. There are countries torn apart by endless civil wars, where children and young people have known nothing but war throughout their short lives. For this reason, for all the wars that ravage the world and render humanity wretched in the eyes of God, the Pope’s call for fraternity and love resonates now more than ever, with a sense of urgency and desperation. It is undeniable that the world today needs human fraternity and compassion more than ever, and we are all called to actively participate so that these virtues may emerge and prevail over the economic interests and ambitions of a few.
Here are just some of the quotes on world peace spoken by Pope Francis during the years of his apostolic vicariate:
“To make peace, one needs courage, far more than to wage war. It takes courage to say yes to encounter and no to confrontation; yes to dialogue and no to violence; yes to negotiation and no to hostility; yes to honouring agreements and no to provocation; yes to sincerity and no to duplicity. For all this, great courage and strength of soul are required.”
“Peace is not merely the absence of war but a general condition in which the human person is in harmony with themselves, with nature, and with others. Nevertheless, silencing weapons and extinguishing the flames of war remains the unavoidable condition for beginning a journey towards achieving peace in its various aspects.”
“From every land, let a single voice rise: no to war, no to violence, yes to dialogue, yes to peace! In war, there are no winners. The only way to win a war is not to wage it.”
“The desire for peace, security, and stability is one of the deepest longings of the human heart, for it is rooted in the Creator, who makes all peoples members of the human family. Such an aspiration can never be satisfied by military means alone, and even less by the possession of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.”
“War brings destruction and multiplies the suffering of populations. Hope and progress come only from choices of peace.”
“To all those who unjustly wield the weapons of this world, I make an appeal: lay down these instruments of death; instead, arm yourselves with justice, love, and mercy—authentic guarantees of peace.”
“Those who wage war forget humanity. They do not start from the people, they do not look at the concrete lives of individuals, but place partisan interests and power above all else. They rely on the diabolical and perverse logic of weapons, which is the furthest from God’s will. And they distance themselves from the ordinary people, who desire peace and who, in every conflict, are the true victims, suffering the horrors of war on their own flesh.”
“God is with the peacemakers, not with those who use violence.”
“Ending war is an unpostponable duty for all political leaders before God. Peace is the priority of every political agenda. God will hold accountable those who have not sought peace or have fomented tensions and conflicts, for all the days, months, and years of war that have passed and affected nations.”
“Peace is based on the respect of every person, regardless of their history, on the respect of law and the common good, of the creation entrusted to us, and of the moral heritage passed down by past generations.”
The Words of Pope Francis on the War in Ukraine
On Friday, 25th March, the day of the celebration of the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary, or the Annunciation of the Lord, Pope Francis responded to the war and the horrors it brings with an invitation to all men to return to God and His forgiveness, for on our own we are not able to decide what is good for all men, but guided by God’s love, His goodness and mercy, we can choose the path towards peace and love.
It is no coincidence that the Pope chose precisely the day of the Annunciation, as we can consider this event a clear and inescapable call to the constant dialogue between God and man. By sending the Angel to Mary to ask her to consent to the transcendental and painful role He has in store for her, God offers all men the possibility to choose whether or not to take part in the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. God, who is love, does not force, does not oblige: He offers a possibility, leaving man the freedom to choose, fully aware of our fragility and our inability to see beyond our own miserable affairs. And Mary, a young girl moved only by faith, embraces her destiny and welcomes the Holy Spirit within herself, to become the Mother of God and a symbol of humanity that entrusts itself to God, with blind trust and the will to contribute.
Pope Francis wanted to consecrate humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Peace. He did so by recalling the apparitions of the Madonna of Fatima in 1917, when the Virgin asked the young visionaries to help her avert the communist threat coming from Russia by consecrating Russia to her Immaculate Heart: “To prevent all this, I have come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and for the reparative communion on the first Saturdays. If you listen to My requests, Russia will be converted, and you will have peace; otherwise, it will spread its errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church; the good will be martyred, the Holy Father will suffer greatly, several nations will be annihilated. Finally, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and it will be converted, and peace will be granted to the world for some time.”
The Pope wanted to read in the account of the Fatima apparitions a prophetic vision of the days we are living and has embraced the request of the Madonna of Peace.

Prayer of Pope Francis for Peace
In response to the war in Ukraine, the Pope dedicated this prayer for peace in the world to the Madonna, an authentic Act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose presence brings us back to peace and guides us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace. One particular passage deserves to be repeated by each Christian in these dark days, with the humility of a child calling upon an infinitely merciful mother, aware that salvation resides only in her:
“Receive, therefore, O Mother, this our supplication.
You, star of the sea, do not let us perish in the storm of war.
You, ark of the new covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.
You, ‘land of Heaven,’ bring God’s concord back into the world.
Extinguish hatred, calm vengeance, teach us forgiveness.
Free us from war, preserve the world from the nuclear threat.
Queen of the Rosary, awaken in us the need to pray and to love.
Queen of the human family, show the people the way of fraternity.
Queen of Peace, grant peace to the world.”
