Pope Leo makes urgent appeal for religious freedom, persecuted Christians

Pope Leo XIV issued a strong defense of religious freedom Oct. 10, calling it “not optional but essential,” and describing it as a moral foundation of peace, reconciliation, and authentic human flourishing. 

Addressing representatives of Aid to the Church in Need International gathered in Rome during the Jubilee of Hope, the Pope urged Catholics to stand with persecuted believers worldwide and to safeguard what he called “the God-given freedoms” of every person.

“Our world continues to witness rising hostility and violence against those who hold different convictions, including many Christians,” Pope Leo said. “Yet as one family in Christ, we do not abandon our persecuted brothers and sisters. Rather, we remember them, we stand with them, and we labour to secure their God-given freedoms.” 

Citing Saint Paul, he reminded that “if one member suffers, all suffer together,” words that, he said, “echo in our hearts today, for the suffering of any member of Christ’s Body is shared by the whole Church.”

The Pope grounded his reflection on the nature of religious liberty in the dignity of the human person. “Every human being carries within his or her heart a profound longing for truth, for meaning, and for communion with others and with God,” he said. 

Because of that, “the right to religious freedom is not optional but essential. Rooted in the dignity of the human person, created in God’s image and endowed with reason and free will, religious freedom allows individuals and communities to seek the truth, to live it freely, and to bear witness to it openly.”

He warned that when this right is suppressed, societies begin to unravel: “What follows is a slow disintegration of the ethical and spiritual bonds that sustain communities; trust gives way to fear, suspicion replaces dialogue, and oppression breeds violence.” Echoing his predecessor’s Easter message, he recalled that “there can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others.”

Pope Leo also emphasized that the Church’s defense of religious freedom extends beyond its own members. Quoting the Second Vatican Council’s Dignitatis Humanae, he noted that this right “must be recognized in the legal and institutional life of every nation.” For the Church, he said, this defense “cannot remain abstract; it must be lived, protected and promoted in the daily lives of individuals and communities.”

Turning to the work of Aid to the Church in Need, the Pope praised the organization’s decades-long commitment to the persecuted Church, calling its Religious Freedom in the World Report “a powerful instrument for raising awareness” and “a voice to the voiceless.” He also spoke personally, noting that the charity has supported projects in Peru, including in the Diocese of Chiclayo, where he once served.

Wherever the organization rebuilds chapels, supports religious sisters, or provides for communication and transportation, he said, “you strengthen the life of the Church, as well as the spiritual and moral fabric of society.” In regions like the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, and Mozambique, such efforts allow Christians, even as small minorities, to be “peacemakers in their homelands,” showing that “a different world is possible.”

The Pope concluded with a blessing and a charge: “Do not grow weary of doing good, for your service bears fruit in countless lives and gives glory to our Father in heaven.” Invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Mother of Hope,” he prayed that she remain close “to all who suffer,” as he imparted his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of “grace and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.”