SAN MARINO (AP) — Pope Leo XIV used a visit to the tiny landlocked San Marino and a major Catholic gathering in the Italian city of Rimini on Saturday to issue one of his strongest appeals yet against war, polarization and social division, urging believers to foster dialogue and friendship in a fractured world.
Speaking to tens of thousands in Rimini, Leo warned against a culture that “rearms minds, words and nations” and argued that Christians must
respond with mercy, encounter and a commitment to peace.
He also delivered a message of encouragement to young Catholics, telling them they are “a sign that the future is promising, and not a threat!”
Earlier, in San Marino, Leo addressed local authorities of the world’s oldest surviving republic and reflected on the legacy of Saints Marino and Leone, whom he credited with helping create a society rooted in freedom, mutual respect and community.
The pope said the two saints translated the Christian message into “a new community and political model, strongly characterized by the Christian principles of freedom, mutual respect and communion” — a legacy that he said continues to shape the republic today.
San Marino, a nation of about 35,000 people completely surrounded by Italy, traces its origins to the fourth century. It is governed by a 60-member parliament that elects two captains regent every six months to serve jointly as heads of state, a power-sharing arrangement designed to prevent the concentration of authority.
Using the micro state as an example, Leo argued that small political communities can offer lessons in public service and social cohesion at a time of growing division and distrust.
Leo is the third pope to visit San Marino, after St. John Paul II visited in 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI came in 2011.
The American pontiff praised a society “built on respect for one’s own freedom and that of others and above all on respect for the sacred Will of God.”
He warned that modern societies face increasing threats from violence, social fragmentation and ideologies that put self-interest ahead of the common good.
“We live in a world wounded by many conflicts,” the pope said, citing growing violence, closures and fear of others. He urged Christians to respond through forgiveness, solidarity and concern for the vulnerable.
Leo also described San Marino as a “laboratory of good politics” and called for public life to uphold the dignity of every human person “from conception to natural death” — language commonly used by Vatican officials and Catholic leaders when referring to church opposition to abortion and euthanasia.
In 2021, San Marino voters approved a referendum legalizing abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, overturning a decades-old ban. The referendum represented a significant change in law and public policy in a country with deep Catholic roots.
While Leo did not directly address the referendum, he repeatedly stressed the need for political, social and economic systems to place human dignity at their center. He warned against models that present themselves as liberating but ultimately fail to serve the human person and the common good.
Later Saturday, Leo addressed the annual Rimini Meeting — a major Catholic cultural festival organized by the Communion and Liberation movement — urging Catholics to respond to a world marked by war, division and inequality with dialogue, friendship and encounter.
He said peace is built by people “who love to encounter one another and are not afraid to engage with one another,” arguing that human dignity must come before political, social and ideological divisions.
In some of his strongest comments to date on global tensions, he warned against what he described as a growing culture of confrontation and militarization.
Christians should recognize that “there can be no enemies,” and that even opponents are “a brother or sister to be looked in the eye and encountered in truth,” Leo added.
He urged Catholics to challenge systems that fuel poverty, inequality and conflict.
“Let us expose unjust structures of power that lie at the root of poverty, inequality, war and environmental disasters,” he said, while urging believers to free “work from the idolatry of profit” and to “disarm technological development whenever it becomes invasive and destructive.”
A significant portion of the pope's speech focused on young people, whom Leo portrayed as a source of hope at a time when many fear the future.
Encouraging young Catholics to engage with society rather than retreat into closed communities, he urged them: “Do not be afraid to give yourselves fully!” and “Go forth to meet everyone!”
Echoing themes championed by his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo also encouraged Catholics to embrace listening and dialogue, arguing that the church grows through the attraction of authentic witness rather than proselytism.
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Zampano reported from Rome.
