When Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the balcony after his election in 2025, he echoed the risen Christ’s first words after the Resurrection: “Peace be with you.” On The Inner Life, Fr. Tom McCarthy reflected on how that message has shaped Pope Leo’s papacy from the very beginning.
“Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you,’ because the people were not at peace,” Fr. McCarthy explained. “They were scared to death.” In the same way, Pope Leo speaks directly into a world marked by conflict, fear, and restlessness.
Fr. McCarthy described the Holy Father as “a man of peace” whose witness goes beyond politics or diplomacy. Whether visiting troubled regions or walking alongside people of other faiths, Pope Leo continually points people back to Christ, the true source of peace.
Patrick Conley noted how fitting this message is during the Easter season. Christians are “resurrection people,” called to live with hope and share Christ’s peace with others. Pope Leo’s words remind Catholics that peace begins inside us before it can transform the world around us.
Fr. McCarthy also emphasized an often-overlooked part of the Pope’s example: rest. “If you’re going to evangelize, if you’re going to be a peacemaker, you need to rest,” he said. Just as Jesus withdrew to pray, Christians today must step away from constant busyness to be renewed by God’s presence.
That renewal begins most powerfully in the Eucharist. Fr. McCarthy encouraged listeners to spend time at Mass and in Adoration, allowing Jesus to quiet anxious hearts and restore true peace.
As Patrick concluded, “You can’t expect peace exteriorly if we don’t have peace interiorly.”
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