The Vatican Publishing House has released a new book gathering Pope Leo XIV’s addresses and reflections on peace from his first fourteen months as pontiff. Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift, edited by Alessandro Banfi, is now available in Italian, with an English edition forthcoming. Aleteia reports that the collection draws from Pope Leo’s major statements since his election on May 8, 2025.
What the book contains
The volume compiles papal addresses, homilies, and written messages focused on peace as a central theme of Pope Leo XIV’s early papacy. The title phrase, “disarmed and disarming,” reflects the Pope’s consistent teaching that personal conversion to peacemaking must precede calls for institutional change.
Vatican Publishing House, the Holy See’s official press, handles papal documents and magisterial texts. This marks the first book-length collection of Pope Leo XIV’s writings since his election fifteen months ago.
Why this matters
Every Pope establishes priorities through early teaching emphasis. Pope Leo XIV has devoted significant attention to peace amid ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This compilation allows readers to see his developing thought on the subject in one place rather than scattered across weekly audiences and occasional statements.
The book’s central argument, that we cannot credibly ask the powerful for peace unless we practice it in our own lives, continues a consistent papal theme: personal holiness grounds all Catholic social teaching. Peace begins in families, parishes, and daily interactions before it reaches diplomacy.
For Catholic readers
When the English edition appears, read it alongside the Catechism’s treatment of peace (CCC 2302-2317). Consider where you fail to live peace in your own household or workplace, and bring that to confession. The Pope’s words are most useful when they convict us personally, not when we apply them only to governments.
Sources:
1. Aleteia — original report
