Against a backdrop of escalating global conflict and a resurgence of the ‘logic of brute force,’ the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva hosted its 17th Annual Interreligious Service for Peace last night.
Held at the Church of St. Nicolas de Flüe, the event gathered approximately 300 high-level diplomats, ambassadors, and religious leaders. The service, co-organized with the Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva, and Fribourg, centred on Pope Leo XIV’s 2026 World Day of Peace Message:“Peace be with you all: Towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace.”
The evening was marked by a rare convergence of top-level religious and humanitarian figures, featuring interventions by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Vice- President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mr. Giles Carbonnier (who delivered remarks on behalf of Ms. Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the ICRC).
A “Demanding Hope” from the Holy Land
Cardinal Pizzaballa, arriving from Jerusalem, offered a stark yet poignant reflection on the reality of shepherding a community in one of the world’s most delicate and conflict-affected regions. He challenged the international community to reject the growing resignation that violence is inevitable.
“Giving up on peace would mean accepting war as the ‘normal language’ in human and international relations,” Cardinal Pizzaballa stated. “To welcome Pope Leo XIV’s message is not to indulge in naïve optimism. Rather, it is to embrace a demanding hope.”
Addressing the situation in the Holy Land, the Cardinal emphasized that ceasefires are insufficient without a deeper transformation of conscience: “There is no lasting peace without justice – but there is no real justice unless the other is recognized as a person, not a tool or an obstacle.”
The Humanitarian Imperative
The service took on added gravity with a statement delivered on behalf of ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric. Citing alarming statistics—including the existence of 130 active armed conflicts worldwide, double the number from 15 years ago—the ICRC leadership warned against the erosion of International Humanitarian Law.
“If there are 100 steps to peace, the first are humanitarian,” the President’s statement read. “Respect for international humanitarian law saves lives... It preserves pathways back to peace by affirming that humanity does not end when war begins.”
Conquering Without Conquest
The host of the event, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See in Geneva, framed the evening as a counter-narrative to the ‘logic’ of violence and conflict.
“An ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace conquers without conquest, and trains not for battle, but for reconciliation and cooperation,” Archbishop Balestrero said in his welcoming remarks. He urged the diplomats present to resist the “weaponization” of thoughts and words, calling on believers to “refute these forms of blasphemy” where faith is manipulated to justify violence.
A Universal Call
The service included reflections from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist leaders, interspersed with music from the Parish’s Filipino and African choirs, reflecting the universality of the Geneva international community and the Catholic Church. It concluded with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, led by H.E. Msgr. Charles Morerod, the Bishop of the Diocese.
Following the service, the Holy See Mission hosted a reception in the Parish Hall, allowing for continued dialogue among those in attendance.
Read all interventions here.
Photos from the evening, can be viewed here.
