Pope Leo XIV: Without forgiveness, we cannot live in peace

Vatican City, September 13, 2026: Pope Leo XIV has called on Christians to embrace forgiveness as a path to peace, saying it can overcome hatred, resentment and division.

Addressing the faithful during the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope reflected on the day’s Gospel from Matthew, in which Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who sins against him.

Jesus replies, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”

“Forgiveness is indispensable, and without it, we cannot live in peace,” Pope Leo said. He warned that conflicts, accusations, grudges and acts of vengeance destroy relationships, divide families and unleash wars.

“Only forgiveness sets us free and restores the light,” he added, describing forgiveness as a gentle breeze that sweeps away even the thickest clouds until the sun shines once more.

Forgiveness without limits

The Pope explained that the biblical number seven symbolises fullness, and Jesus’ teaching therefore calls Christians to forgive “beyond all limits, without measure”.

He described forgiveness as “a fundamental feature of the Christian life” and said that gift and forgiveness form the foundation of human existence.

Reflecting on the parable of the servant whose enormous debt his master forgave out of mercy, Pope Leo noted that the servant failed to show the same mercy to a fellow servant.

“Gratuitousness”, he said, is not only the source of our existence but also “the best rule for our life together”, helping people live in harmony and free themselves from burdens.

Peter’s experience of forgiveness

Pope Leo also pointed to Peter as an example of Christ’s forgiving love. After Peter denied knowing Jesus during the Passion, the risen Christ asked him, “Simon … do you love me?” and invited him to follow once again.

The Pope said it was “as if nothing had happened”, as though Peter’s denial had never occurred.

This love, which forgives and heals, confirmed Peter’s mission as the first of the Apostles, he said.

Concluding his Angelus message, Pope Leo invoked the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, asking her to help Christians forgive, even when taking the first step is difficult.

He urged the faithful to spread “the serene and healing light of love that overcomes hatred and disarms all resentment”.

Courtesy: Vatican News