The Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul calls on the Church to return to its roots—to the bold faith of Peter and the tireless zeal of Paul, apostles whose martyrdom became the seed of Christian mission and unity. It is a feast not only of memory, but of mission. In an age again threatened by war and fragmentation, we are reminded that the Church’s foundation is built upon witnesses who gave their lives not for power, but for peace. Their legacy, carried forward by their successors—especially the popes—continues to shape the moral conscience of a divided world.
This year, we celebrate the feast in a world haunted by conflicts—devastating wars in Russia and Ukraine and the Middle East, political instability, and renewed nuclear threats that echo the fears of the last century. Within this global landscape, the role of the papacy emerges once again as a critical voice for peace. Pope Leo XIV, carrying forward the legacy of his predecessors, began his very first public address with the message of peace. His later messages, calling for the “disarmament of hearts before the disarmament of arsenals,” have rekindled hope that the papacy remains a prophetic voice capable of stirring the conscience of nations.
From Peter’s humble confession of faith to Paul’s cosmic vision of reconciliation in Christ, the Apostolic foundation of the Church was never meant to be an institution of worldly power, but of spiritual authority rooted in the gospel of peace. Pope Leo stands today in that same line, challenging the structures of death, echoing Pope St. John XXIII’s vision in Pacem in Terris, or Pope Francis’s firm rejection of nuclear deterrence as morally indefensible.
As wars wage on, the papacy’s moral clarity is sorely needed. The Church offers something no military alliance or diplomatic accord can guarantee: a vision of peace grounded in the dignity of every human person and the primacy of conscience over ideology. Successive papacies of modern times have consistently reminded the world that peace is not a political convenience, but a gospel imperative. The Church reminds us—pastors, lay people, and those in power—to renounce the seduction of power and to embrace the life-giving path of dialogue, mercy, and justice.
Ss. Peter and Paul remind us that the mission of the Church was born in the shadows of empire and death, yet it endured through the boldness of witnesses who proclaimed life. Today, as humanity again faces weapons capable of annihilation, the Pope’s voice—weak to the world but strong in the Spirit—echoes theirs: “Put down your sword.” In remembering the apostles, let us recommit ourselves to the Church’s truest tradition: not the wielding of authority, but the offering of peace.
May the successor of Peter continue to walk in the footsteps of the Fisherman, courageously speaking truth to power and casting the net of peace into the stormy seas of our age. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” jose, CMF
