Speaking to the world's leaders, the pope said, "Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned, and deadly actions are decided!" However, all the world's people also have a duty to reject the violence in their own hearts and minds, and help build a kingdom of peace each and every day in one's own home, school and community, he said. "Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics," he said, urging people to learn more and "get personally involved" in being part of "the mosaic of peace!"

Pope Leo XIV prays during an evening prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 11, 2026. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Carol Glatz

April 11, 2026

Pope Leo XIV called for a prayer vigil April 11 to tell the whole world it is possible for all people of all religions and ethnicities to live together and that "we want to be united as brothers and sisters, united in a world of peace."

"Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life," he said during the special vigil for peace in St. Peter's Basilica.

"Those who pray are aware of their own limitations; they do not kill or threaten with death," he said. "Instead, death enslaves those who have turned their backs on the living God, turning themselves and their own power into a mute, blind and deaf idol, to which they sacrifice every value, demanding that the whole world bend its knee."

"Let us listen to the voices of children," who write to him all the time, recounting "all the horror and inhumanity of actions that some adults boast of with pride," he said. 

The vigil, which drew thousands of people inside and outside the basilica, featured the recitation of the glorious mysteries of the rosary. Before each mystery was recited, women wearing traditional dress from countries representing the different continents of the world lit small lamps from a flame from the Lamp of Peace from Assisi that was placed below a statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace.

Prayer can move mountains, he said in his remarks in Italian. "War divides; hope unites. Arrogance tramples upon others; love lifts up. Idolatry blinds us; the living God enlightens."

It just takes a tiny bit of faith "to face this dramatic hour in history together," he said....READ MORE  

https://www.usccb.org/news/2026/pope-decries-horror-inhumanity-some-adults-boast-pride 

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Pope Leo XIV: Planes should bring peace, not war and destruction ...Pope Leo XIV thanks the Italian national airline ITA Airways for carrying the Pope on his Apostolic Journeys, and laments the use of aircraft as carriers of death and destruction in theaters of war.

Pope Leo meets with a delegation from ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group  (@Vatican Media)

By Devin Watkins

Just twenty days ahead of his Apostolic Journey to four African nations, Pope Leo XIV met with a delegation of executives and staff from ITA Airways, Italy’s national airline, and the Lufthansa Group.

The Pope thanked ITA Airways and its predecessor, Alitalia, for its service to the Popes, beginning with Pope St. Paul VI.

He praised its “qualified and experienced professionals” for creating a “serene atmosphere” for the Pope, his entourage, and the journalists who fly with him to cover his Apostolic Journeys.

ITA Airways, he added, helps papal visits abroad become filled with “almost a family atmosphere, where respect is joined with devotion.”

“Meeting you gives me the opportunity to express my personal appreciation and gratitude, and that of the Holy See, for this precious service,” he said.

Pope Leo said papal flights offer an eloquent symbol of the mission of the Successor of Peter in contemporary society, as he always travels to countries as “a messenger of peace.”

“His routes are what they always should be, namely bridges of dialogue, encounter, and fraternity,” he said.

However, noted the Pope, aircraft have often been used in theaters of war to bring destruction and fear.

“Airplanes should always be carriers of peace, never of war!” he said. “No one should be afraid that threats of death and destruction might come from the sky.”

Pope Leo recalled the aerial bombardments of the World Wars and other conflicts, which still continue today.

“After the tragic experiences of the twentieth century, aerial bombings should have been banned forever!” he said. “Instead, they still exist, and technological development, positive in itself, is being placed at the service of war. This is not progress; it is regression!”

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV renewed his gratitude to the employees of ITA Airways for their help in his mission to spread the peace of the Gospel.

“In our current scenario,” he said, “it becomes even more important to trace routes of peace in the skies, and I thank you because, in the mission the Lord has entrusted to me, I know I can count on you.”

 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-03/pope-leo-xiv-ita-airways-papal-journeys-audience.html

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"One Gulf diplomat, who has direct knowledge of the talks and is furious with Witkoff and Kushner’s behaviour, described the pair as “Israeli assets that had conspired to force the US president into entering a war from which he is now desperate to get himself out of”."

A search and rescue team member sits in the rubble of a damaged building in Tehran on 12 March. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

How ignorance, misunderstanding and obfuscation ended Iran nuclear talks

Negotiators had reached agreement on key issues despite Trump team’s idiosyncratic approach. Two days later, war began

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Wed 18 Mar 2026

In the many bizarre exchanges that occurred in the run-up to the US-Israeli attack on Iran, perhaps the most unexpected was an invitation by Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff for the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, to join him and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for a visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.

The idea that Araghchi would leave talks in Oman about the future of Iran’s nuclear programme to tour a ship sent to the Gulf in an effort to dislodge his government seemed idiosyncratic at best.

But it was symptomatic of the unorthodox way in which Kushner and Witkoff approached the nuclear talks that stretched through last year and this, and have twice been halted by Israeli and US airstrikes.

One Gulf diplomat, who has direct knowledge of the talks and is furious with Witkoff and Kushner’s behaviour, described the pair as “Israeli assets that had conspired to force the US president into entering a war from which he is now desperate to get himself out of”.

Witkoff does not pretend to regional expertise – in one of his recent interviews he referred to the strait of Hormuz as the “Gulf of Hormuz”. Similarly, he admitted in an interview that his knowledge of Iran’s nuclear programme was sketchy.... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/18/ignorance-misunderstanding-obfuscation-iran-nuclear-talks-trump

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The Incarnate Word priests and nuns in Holy Family Parish in Gaza have been awarded the Achille Silvestrini International Prize for Dialogue and Peace

The Incarnate Word priests and nuns in Holy Family Parish in Gaza have been awarded the Achille Silvestrini International Prize for Dialogue and Peace.

Cardinal Pizzaballa will receive the award on their behalf at a ceremony this month in Italy

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa is an Italian member of the Franciscan Order and a Roman Catholic cardinal who has been serving as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 6 November 2020. After being received into the Franciscan Order in 1984, he spent his novitiate at the Franciscan Shrine of La Verna in Arezzo, Italy. In 1990, after having obtained a diploma in classical studies from the Archiepiscopal Seminary of Ferrara as well as a bachelor's degree in theology from the Pontifical University Antonianum and having been ordained a priest, he was called to service in the Holy Land. Wikipedia

In Growing Gardens for Palestine... The United Nations: International TRANSLATION Day- Translation is more than words; it is a connection. It bridges cultures, carries histories, and gives voice to those unheard. Today, September 30th on Translation Day, we celebrate those who make dialogue possible, the quiet architects of unity in every language.

Growing Gardens for Palestine 

United Nations Geneva

@UNGeneva

Translation is more than words; it is a connection. It bridges cultures, carries histories, and gives voice to those unheard. Today, on #TranslationDay, we celebrate those who make dialogue possible, the quiet architects of unity in every language.

Why 30 September?

30 September celebrates the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator, who is considered the patron saint of translators.

St. Jerome was a priest from North-eastern Italy, who is known mostly for his endeavor of translating most of the Bible into Latin from the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. He also translated parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek. He was of Illyrian ancestry and his native tongue was the Illyrian dialect. He learned Latin in school and was fluent in Greek and Hebrew, which he picked up from his studies and travels. Jerome died near Bethlehem on 30 September 420.

https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-translation-day 

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The role of language professionals

International Translation Day is meant as an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of language professionals, which plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security.

Transposition of a literary or scientific work, including technical work, from one language into another language, professional translation, including translation proper, interpretation and terminology, is indispensable to preserving clarity, a positive climate and productiveness in international public discourse and interpersonal communication.

Thus, on 24 May 2017, the General Assembly adopted resolution 71/288 on the role of language professionals in connecting nations and fostering peace, understanding and development, and declared 30 September as International Translation Day.

Multilingualism, a core value of the United Nations

Languages, with their complex implications for identity, communication, social integration, education and development, are of strategic importance for people and the planet.

There is growing awareness that languages play a vital role in development, in ensuring cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, but also in attaining quality education for all and strengthening cooperation, in building inclusive knowledge societies and preserving cultural heritage, and in mobilizing political will for applying the benefits of science and technology to sustainable development.

An essential factor in harmonious communication among peoples, multilingualism is also regarded by the United Nations General Assembly as a core value of the Organization. By promoting tolerance, multilingualism ensures effective and increased participation of all in the Organization’s work, as well as greater effectiveness, better performance and improved transparency.

Translation at the UN

The United Nations is one of the world's largest employers of language professionals. Several hundred language staff work in UN offices in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, or at the United Nations regional commissions in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut, Geneva and Santiago. Translators are one type of language professionals employed at the UN.

UN language specialists include:

• Editorial and desktop publishing assistants;
• Editors;
• Interpreters;
• Précis-writers;
• Production editors and desktop publishers;
• Translators;
• Verbatim reporters

United Nations translators handle all kinds of documents, from statements by Member States to reports prepared by expert bodies. The documents they translate cover every topic on the United Nations agenda, including human rights, peace and security, and development. New issues arise every day. UN documents are issued simultaneously in the six official languages of the Organization (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish). Some core documents are also translated into German. This multilingual documentation is made possible by United Nations translators, whose job is to render clearly and accurately the content of original texts into their main language.

Interested in working as a language specialist at the United Nations? Please check UN Careers on Competitive examinations for language professionals.

Did you know?

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds the Guinness World Record as the most translated document. It exists in more than 500 languages.
• The United Nations is one of the world's largest employers of language professionals.
• There are six official languages of the UN - Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
• A delegate may speak in any official UN language. The speech is interpreted simultaneously into the other official languages of the UN.

TRANSLATION: From one world to another

What does it really mean to translate? Translation is often the essential prerequisite for accessing a universal, multiple, diverse culture. In this issue of the UNESCO Courier, explore what this really entails.

Related Observances

• 21 February - International Mother Language Day
• 20 March - French Language Day at the UN
• 20 April - Chinese Language Day at the UN
• 23 April - English Language Day at the UN 
• 23 April - Spanish Language Day at the UN 
• 5 May - World Portuguese Language Day
• 6 June - Russian Language Day at the UN 
• 7 July - World Kiswahili Language Day
• 18 December - Arabic Language Day at the UN 
• 2022-2032 - International Decade of Indigenous Languages

Why do we mark International Days?

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.

 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights... Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages

"80 years ago an atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima. This must be a reminder to all of us of the irremediable risk of nuclear war, but also of the death and devastation that war — all wars — continue to inflict on human beings caught in conflict. Every day, right now. #Hiroshima80" Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Tricycle of a 3 year old boy named Shinichi Tetsutani, who died 1,500 meters from the hypocenter of Hiroshima atomic bombing, 1945. Shinichi's tricycle has been preserved by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

 Filippo Grandi

@FilippoGrandi

UN High Commissioner for @Refugees

 

80 years ago an atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima. This must be a reminder to all of us of the irremediable risk of nuclear war, but also of the death and devastation that war — all wars — continue to inflict on human beings caught in conflict. Every day, right now. #Hiroshima80

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Dear America- Stand up for international law and Human Rights, not the weapons industry.

letter I just sent to my elected leaders

Dear America,

Israel with all its pretty propaganda enriches some, but impoverishes many many more, triggering injustice and suffering every where it can reach, including right into America, robbing US blind.

Robbing US of real democracy and equality- robbing US of free speech and our fourth estate, robbing US of civilized and well informed dialogue, robbing US of funds needed for human beings, for our children and schools and the environment... robbing US of goodness and grace. Robbing US of respect and a decent future.

Zionism inspires religious extremism & corruption worldwide. No one is safe.  No one is secure.

For every one's sake please stop trusting Israel. Stop funding Israel. Stop arming Israel. Stop excusing Israel. AND stop duplicating the propaganda of a very foreign country that is in flagrant and long term violation of international law.

STOP ignoring racist Israel's intentional and systematic destruction of Palestinian families, homes, communities and jobs.  Start a better way forward towards a just and lasting peace & progress by saying NO to trigger-happy Israel and NO TO WAR!

Fund UNRWA and true compassion, not the killing zone scheme of Israel's "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation."

Because as Volker Turk warns, “The current trajectory of escalating conflict and disregard for human rights is indefensible.” 

Stand up for international law and Human Rights, not the weapons industry. 

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

Israel VS Iran ... Israel's nuclear weapons - up to 400* VS Iran's nuclear weapons 0 [ZERO!]

"The Iraq playbook is back & the media won't question it. Iraq has no nuclear weapons. Israel- on trial for genocide- does. Iran signed the NPT & allows IAEA inspections. Israel hasn't- & its leaders face ICC arrest warrants.... BEWARE OF POLITICIANS BEATING THE DRUMS OF WAR

"Israel is a nuclear-armed state, with one of the most advanced military’s in the world, funded and armed by the U.S., that started a war of aggression with Iran and is committing genocide in Gaza… And the BBC makes it sound like they’re William Wallace resisting the English." Assal Rad

"Dekel also credits Abdoh with helping spark her interest in the larger story surrounding the Tehran children, including the Jewish community's ancient roots in Iran and the remarkable humanitarianism of a Muslim nation accepting Jewish refugees in the Nazi era, when so many countries were turning them away."

NEW YORK, 15 June 2025 – “This weekend’s surge in violence across the Middle East signals a dangerous escalation. Children are once again paying the ultimate price. Since Friday, an intense military escalation in the region has seen strikes on Iran and Israel hit residential areas, killing and injuring civilians – including children – and causing damage to civilian infrastructure. Beyond the death toll, this alarming escalation creates widespread fear and trauma among children in all communities. UNICEF strongly condemns all forms of violence against children. Our thoughts are with all the families and communities mourning this tragic loss of life. We reiterate the Secretary-General's call for all sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation the region and its children cannot afford. UNICEF urgently calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the protection of civilians, in particular children. All children have the right to live without the threat of war and violence...." UNICEF for every child

The United Nations 2025 ACT NOW for a peaceful world: Did you know that the world spent $2.4 trillion on its militaries or that the global economic cost of violence was nearly $20 trillion in 2023?

"There are no bomb shelters in Gaza. There are no sirens. And there is no emergency alert app on our phones. And if there was one, there is no phone signal or internet connect most of the time. And there is hardly any electricity to charge our phones. The only shelters we have been running into and living in are schools and hospitals. But even those have been bombed constantly and our families were burnt alive in front of our eyes. Even the areas that were designated as "non-combat zones" got bombed. We live there in tents without access to water or food or clothes." Mosab Abu Toha

‘They just see you as an Arab’: Israel’s Palestinian citizens given cursory protection from attack. Deaths of four family members sheltering in supposed ‘safe rooms’ in Tamra highlight racial inequality of Israel’s defence of its citizens

Israel's attack on Iran: "It’s all looking very Gaza-like: escalation with no end; or regime change with no plan." Nesrine Malik in The Guardian

"Killings & wars will breed more wars & bloodshed. Civilians will always suffer first & suffer most. Political will, leadership & courage are overdue & needed more than ever. It's time for long lasting peace in Gaza & across the region." Philippe Lazzarini

In Tel Aviv, rescue teams use advanced equipment, sniffer dogs, and heavy machinery to save those trapped under rubble. In Gaza, civil defense workers and neighbors dig with bare hands, without fuel or tools, because Israel blocks the entry of life-saving equipment. Many victims in Gaza die slowly, not from the initial bombing, but from suffocation, hunger, or thirst beneath the ruins.

It Being Sunday ... a 2025 poem by Anne Selden Annab

It being Sunday

in a land with many churches

I pray that prayers for peace 

rise up, rise up to sway

people away from war.

Away from bombing children,

pulverizing families,

and homes ... and jobs.

Away from generating enemies.

Away from creating poverty, starvation, suffering...

Might does not make right

nor does armed resistance.

Scorn violence!

We live in an age of computers- the internet

an endless feed of personal truths at our fingertips

with the power of fair and just laws

able to shape a better way forward

for all of humankind.

 

***

Laila El-Haddad & Mosab Abu Toha both win the JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARD 2025 for their essays on Gaza ... "We Palestinians win, with or without recipes..."

CSM: In Gaza, Palestinians wonder: Is it worth braving bullets to find food?

Israeli attacks on educational, religious and cultural sites in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, UN Commission says

Reporter: “Why do you think so many countries and governments around the world are just ignoring what’s happening in Gaza?” Greta Thunberg: “Because of racism.”

Antisemitic and Islamophobic violence is rising in the United States. Both must stop: We have a duty to call out antisemitism when we see it. We also have an equal duty to remember that Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims are also being targeted

Let's use the best tool we have: EDUCATION against ignorance, prejudice, hatred, genocide

More journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza than in most major wars combined.

The MATH of modern GENOCIDE & the US weapons industry.

"The Holocaust did not start with gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed from words, stereotypes, and prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanisation and escalatin violence" Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau

Building a Culture of Peace ...

"The United Nations was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell." ~Dag Hammarskjöld, second Secretary-General of the United Nations

"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights