Wiesbaden, January 20, 2026
By Elisabeth Hellenbroich
On January 9th Pope Leo XIV gave an extraordinary address to the diplomatic corps, that is accredited to the Holy See. It was his first address to the Diplomatic Corps which this year was joined by newly accredited diplomats from Belarus, Burundi and Kazakhstan. What made his address special, was his explicit reference to the famous Church father Saint Augustine (354-430 AD) who, prompted by the tragic events of the sack of Rome in 410 AD, wrote his famous Opus “De Civitate Dei. The City of God”, with which he laid the theological and philosophical foundation for Christianity.
The real meaning of Augustine’s City of God – “Amor Dei versus Amor sui”
A key focus during the papal address was Saint Augustine “De Civitate Dei”, a great work, which the pope qualified as “one of the most powerful of his theological, philosophical and literary works.” It draws, as the pope said, in “contemporary terms, on a ‘narrative’ that was spreading. The pagans, still numerous at that time, and even quite a few Christians, thought that the God of the new religion and the apostles themselves had shown themselves incapable of protecting the city. In the days of pagan Gods, Rome was ‘caput mundi’, the great capital, and no one could have imagined that it would fall into the hands of its enemies.” According to Pope Leo XIV this work of Saint Augustine, like the classics, “speaks to people of every generation. (…) Augustine interprets events and history itself according to the model of two cities. First there is the city of God, which is eternal and characterized by God’s unconditional love (amor Dei), as well as love of ones’ neighbor, especially the poor. Then there is the earthly city, which is a temporary dwelling place where human beings live until death. In our days, the latter includes all social and political institutions, from the family to the Nation State and international organizations. For Augustine this city was epitomized by the Roman Empire. Indeed, the earthly city is centered on pride and self -love (amor sui), on the thirst for worldly power and glory that leads to destruction.”
According to St Augustine, it was qualified, “the two cities coexist until the end of time. They have to be understood in light of the external manner in which they are constructed throughout historical events. In this perspective each of us is a protagonist and thus responsible for history (…) Moreover, Augustine emphasizes that Christians are called by God to dwell in the earthly city with their hearts and minds turned towards the heavenly city, their true homeland. At the same time, Christians living in the earthly city are not strangers to the political world, and guided by the Scriptures, seek to apply Christian ethics to civil Government. (…) The City of God does not propose a political program. Instead, if offers valuable reflections on fundamental issues concerning social and political life, such as the search for a more just and peaceful coexistence among peoples. Augustine also warns of the grave dangers to political life, arising from false representations of history, excessive nationalism and the distortion of the ideal of the political leader.”
The pope emphasized that there are indeed many similarities between the fifth century and today, namely “then and now we live in an era of widespread migratory movements; as then, we are living at a time of a profound readjustment – of geopolitical balances and cultural paradigms; as then we are in Pope Francis’s well-known expression, not in an era of change, but a change of era.”
“Only the peace that suits them better”
The pope’s reference to St. Augustine’s “City of God” describes the geopolitical dilemma which today’s world is facing. He strongly warned that what we see today is a weakness of multilateralism. “A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties, is more and more replaced by diplomacy based on ‘force’ by either individuals or groups of allies. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined. Peace is no longer sought as gift and a desirable good in itself, or in the pursuit of the establishment of the ordered universe willed by God, with a more perfect form of justice among men or women. (…) Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion. This gravely threatens the rule of law, which is the foundation of all peaceful civil coexistence.” Even if there is basically nobody that doesn’t want peace, the difference is that they want to win over people and dominate, i.e. they want peace that suits them better. They do not, therefore, wish to have no peace, but only the peace, that they desire.”
The pope reminded his audience that “it was precisely this attitude that led humanity into the tragedy of the Second World War. From those ashes, the United Nations was born, whose eightieth anniversary was recently celebrated. The UN was established by the determination of 51 nations as the center of ‘multilateral cooperation’ in order to prevent future global catastrophes, for safeguarding peace, defending fundamental human rights and promoting sustainable development. “
The pope strongly emphasized the “importance of international humanitarian law”, which in addition to guaranteeing a minimum of humanity during the ravages of war, is a commitment that states have made. Such law must always prevail over the ambitions of belligerents, in order to mitigate the devastating effects of war, also with a view to reconstruction. “We cannot ignore that the destruction of hospitals, energy infrastructure, homes and places essential to daily life, constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law. The Holy See firmly reiterates its condemnation of any form of involvement of civilians in military operations. It likewise hopes that the international community will remember that the protections of the principle of the inviolability of human dignity and the sanctity of life always counts for more than any mere national interest.” Hence the pope called for a more “enhanced role” of the United Nations that should play a key role in fostering dialogue and humanitarian support, helping to build a more just future. It would mean an effort that would more efficiently pursue policies that are aimed at the unity of the human family, instead of ideologies. In light of the multiple voices which we heard at this year’s “Davos World Economic Forum”, this warning could be understood as a clear warning to the West- the US government and the EU- more specifically, to act more responsibly and do everything in their power to bring the war in Ukraine to a peaceful end.
Multilateralism is linked to the right use of language
The pope makes an interesting observation, by linking “multilateralism” which today is understood as the principle where many countries with different views and goals work together, to describe the dilemma in respect to the right use of language: “In order to engage in dialogue, there needs to be agreement on the words and concepts that are used. (…) Rediscovering the meaning of words is perhaps one of the primary challenges of our time. When words lose their connection to reality and reality itself becomes debatable and ultimately incommunicable, we become like those two individuals to whom Saint Augustine refers, who are forced to stay together without either of them knowing the other’s language.” At the same time the pope deplored that today the meaning of words is more often increasingly ambiguous: “Language is no longer the preferred means by which human beings come to know and encounter one another. (…) Language is more and more becoming a weapon with which to deceive, or to strike and offend opponents. We need words once again to express distinct and clear realities and unequivocally. Only in this way can authentic dialogue resumes without misunderstandings. This should happen in our homes and public spaces, in politics, in the media and on social media (…) This is indeed necessary for preventing conflicts and for ensuring that no one is tempted to prevail over others with the mindset of force, whether verbal, physical or military.”
He further noted that the weakening of language is often invoked in the name of “freedom of expression itself.” Yet, he observed correctly, that the “opposite is true, for freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed precisely by the certainty of language and the fact that every term is anchored in the truth. It is painful to see how, especially in the West, the space for genuine freedom of expression is rapidly shrinking. At the same time a new Orwellian- Style language (!) is developing which in an attempt to be increasingly inclusive, ends up excluding those who do not conform to the ideologies that are fueling it.” This particular observation deserves attention, given the fact that our daily language in the last years has been distorted by “woke” and “gender” ideologies. Equally important was the Pope’s remarks about Artificial Intelligence, when he spoke about “the obsessive praise of Artificial Intelligence that puts man in the ‘service’ of a programmed language machine. (This is similar to the AI ChatGPT that produces content on the basis of a huge data reservoir, but that has no intentions, creativity or personal identity. It’s nothing but a gigantic pool of algorithms that the AI synthesizes into becoming a collective pool of ideas. E.H, see Roberto Simanowski: Language machine – a philosophy of artificial intelligence, C.H. Beck 2025.)
The degradation of language from the Pope’s perspective leads to a “restriction of fundamental human rights” starting with the freedom of conscience. In this regard conscientious objection allows individuals to refuse legal or professional obligations that conflict with moral, ethical or religious principles deeply rooted in their personal lives. This may be the refusal of military service in the name of euthanasia, or the refusal on the part of doctors and healthcare professionals to engage in practices such as abortion or euthanasia. However, “at this moment in history, freedom of conscience seems increasingly to be questioned by states, even those that claim to be based on democracy and human rights. This freedom however, establishes a balance between the collective interest and individual dignity. It also emphasizes that a truly free society does not impose uniformity but protects the diversity of consciences, preventing authoritarian tendencies and promoting an ethical dialogue that enrich the social fabric.”
Pope defends the inalienable dignity of every person
The Pope also complained that “in many Christian countries Christians are often restricted in their ability to proclaim the truths of the Gospel for political or ideological reasons, “especially when they defend the dignity of the weakest, the unborn, refugees and migrants, or promote the family.” (!) Hence the “Holy See consistently takes a stand in defense of the inalienable dignity of every person. It cannot be overlooked, for example, that every migrant is a person and as such inalienable rights that must be respected in every situation. As is the case in many countries in Africa and Asia many people are forced to flee because of violence, persecution conflict and climate change.” Similarly, he expressed concern about the role of the family, emphasizing that “today the family in particular faces tow challenges. On the one side there is a worrying tendency in the international system to neglect and underestimate its fundamental social role, leading to its progressive institutional marginalization. On the other hand, we cannot ignore the growing and painful reality of fragile, broken add suffering families, afflicted by internal difficulties and disturbing phenomena, including domestic violence.”
Hence, he underlined, that families and unborn life must be protected. “In light of this profound vision of life as a gift to be cherished and of the family as its responsible guardian, we categorically reject any practice that denies the origin of life and its development. Among these is abortion which cuts short a growing life and refuses to welcome the gift of life. In this light the Holy See expresses deep concern about projects aimed at financing cross- border mobility for the purpose of accessing the so called right to safe abortion. It also considers it deplorable that public resources are allocated to suppress life, rather than being invested to support mothers and families. The same goes for the practice of surrogacy.” He also pays attention to the sick and those who are elderly and isolated. States have the responsibility to respond to the situations of vulnerability, offering solutions to human suffering such as promoting palliative care and compassion rather than encouraging deceptive forms such as euthanasia. Same goes for young people who are victims of drug abuse. “A society is healthy and progresses only when it safeguards the sanctity of human life and works actively to promote it. We are actually seeing a short circuit of human rights.”
The folly of pride
The pope ended his address by referring again to St Augustine’s “City of God.” Thus, he emphasized that while Augustine “highlights the coexistence of the heavenly and earthly cities until the end of time, our era seems somewhat inclined to deny the city of God its ‘rights of citizenship.’ “It seems that only the earthly city exists, enclosed exclusively within its borders. Seeking only immanent goods undermines that ‘tranquility of order’ which for Augustine constitutes the very essence of peace, which concerns society and nations as much as human soul itself and is essential for any civil coexistence. In the absence of a transcendent and objective foundation, only self-love prevails, to the point of indifference to God, who governs the earthly city. Yet as Augustine notes, great is the folly of pride in those individuals who think that the supreme good can be found in this life, and that they can become happy by their own resources. (…) Pride obscures both reality itself and our empathy towards others. It is no coincidence that pride is always at the root of every conflict.”
By making reference to the bloody conflict in Ukraine, the horrendous situation for the Palestinians in Gaza, the tensions in the Carribian Sea and the American Pacific Coast, the situation affecting the Great Lakes region, the danger of a new nuclear arms race, and the danger to return to the race of even producing more sophisticate weapons, also by means of Artificial Intelligence, the pope recalled, what he had said in his message for the World Peace Day (21.9.2025): “We lose our sense of realism and surrender to a partial and distorted view of the world, disfigured by darkness and fear, thus paving the way for the mentality of confrontation which is the precursor to every war. (…) Notwithstanding the tragic situation before our eyes, peace remains a difficult, yet realistic good. As Augustine reminds us, peace is ‘the aims of the Good’, because it is the very aim of the city of God to which we aspire, even unconsciously and of which we can enjoy a foretaste even in the humility to live truthfully.”
