Cardinal Tobin: Peace is only possible through repentance and the forgiveness of sins
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Vol. 7. No. 17
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Peace be with you!
When the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples, he bestowed on them the gift of his peace. He also reminded them that they are witnesses to the mystery of redemption. As witnesses, they will be called to testify to the truth about the forgiveness of sins, which will be “preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47).
I was in Jerusalem for the first time several years ago, and the impressions that I gained there are indelible. I will never forget the sights, sounds and smells of this ancient city, so rich in religious history and culture.
It’s amazing to me that Jerusalem was the place where our Church’s evangelizing mission began. It’s an unlikely place in many ways. Jerusalem, which means “city of peace,” has been, and continues to be, anything but a peaceful city. This city has known more than its share of war, religious and racial intolerance, hunger (both physical and spiritual) and inhumanity.
But Jerusalem is also a holy city revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims everywhere. There is no lasting peace in Jerusalem today, but the longing for peace is so intense that you can feel it in the air. Jews, Christians, and Muslims who are true to their scriptures and faithful to the best of their traditions share a desire for peace (and, with it, unity) that is almost palpable in Jerusalem, the city of peace.
Where can we find peace? How can we ever achieve an authentic and lasting peace that guarantees the end of all violence and hatred, and also includes the recognition that we are all sisters and brothers, members of the one family of God, with equal rights and dignity?
Recent popes—John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis, and now Leo XIV—have all insisted that peace is only possible through repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Only by letting go of past wrongs (no matter how egregious), and by the recognition of equal rights and responsibilities on all sides, can we ever achieve lasting peace. Only by recognizing that we are brothers and sisters (the indispensable first step), and then by forgiving each other for the sins we have committed against God and one another (the second step), will we ever hope to find peace.
Pope Leo XIV emphasizes that true peace is a divine gift fostered in the human heart, demanding an active, courageous commitment to dialogue, justice, and disarmament rather than violence. He teaches that peace is built through daily, concrete actions, rejecting selfishness, and, in his 2026 World Day of Peace message, he urged us to move away from deterrence-based, armed conflict. (See below.)
Every family has its hurts and disagreements. Some are serious. Some tear families apart. Only repentance and forgiveness can heal the wounds that divide families, nations and religious, racial, or ethnic groups. Peace is indisputably the work of justice and charity, but, above all, it is the fruit of genuine, heartfelt forgiveness.
When the risen Lord appeared to his disciples, he wished them peace. But he also challenged them (and us) to find peace through repentance and the forgiveness of sins—beginning from Jerusalem, the city of peace, to all nations throughout the world.
May the God of mercy open our hearts to repentance and the forgiveness of sins this Easter season and always!
Sincerely yours in Christ the Redeemer,
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R.
Archbishop of Newark
Key Elements of Pope Leo XIV’s Teachings on Peace
- Heart-Centered Transformation: Peace begins in the heart, requiring a victory over tendencies toward domination and selfishness. It is not merely a “lack of conflict,” but a “positive, active, and courageous attitude.”
- Dialogue Over Weapons: Stability is not achieved through threats or weapons, which only bring suffering, but through “reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue.”
- Active Citizenship and Responsibility: Peace is a “commitment and responsibility” that requires standing up against injustice and supporting the vulnerable.
- “No More War”: Echoing Pope Paul VI, he calls for a total, “renunciation of weapons” and an end to the arms race.
- Practical Daily Actions: Peace is built daily through “respect, compassion, and choosing people over division.”
- Role of Prayer: He urges for “disarmed hearts,” asking for the strength to become instruments of reconciliation.
Pope Leo XIV’s 2026 World Day of Peace message highlighted the need for a “conversion of hearts” to achieve a lasting, unarmed peace.
Pope Leo’s Prayer to Saint Francis of Assisi for Peace
Saint Francis, our brother, you who eight hundred years ago went to meet Sister Death as a man at peace, intercede for us before the Lord.
You recognized true peace in the Crucifix of San Damiano, teach us to seek in him the source of all reconciliation that breaks down every wall.
You who, unarmed, crossed the lines of war and misunderstanding, give us the courage to build bridges where the world raises up boundaries.
In this time afflicted by conflict and division, intercede for us so that we may become peacemakers: unarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace that comes from Christ. Amen.
A Message from Pope Leo XIV: In the One Christ, We are One
Ave Regina Pacis (Hail Mary, Queen of Peace)!
Saint Augustine taught that, in Mary, “the Creator of man became man: so that, though he orders the stars, he might suckle at a woman’s breast; though he is the Bread (cf. Jn 6:35), he might hunger (cf. Mt 4:2)… in order to free us, even though we were unworthy” (Sermon 191, 1.1). In this way, Augustine recalled one of the fundamental features of God’s face: the complete gratuity of his love. As I emphasized in the Message for this World Day of Peace, God presents himself to us “unarmed and disarming,” as naked and defenseless as a newborn in a cradle. He does this to teach us that the world is not saved by sharpening swords, nor by judging, oppressing or eliminating our brothers and sisters. Rather, it is saved by tirelessly striving to understand, forgive, liberate and welcome everyone, without calculation and without fear.
This is the face of God that Mary allowed to take shape and grow within her womb, completely transforming her life. It is the face she proclaimed through the joyful yet delicate light of her eyes while bearing him in her womb; the face whose beauty she contemplated daily in her home as Jesus grew as a child, boy and young man; and the face she followed with the heart of a humble disciple, as he walked the paths of his mission, all the way to the cross and the resurrection. To do so, she too laid aside every defense, renouncing expectations, claims and comforts – as mothers so often do – consecrating her life without reserve to the Son she had received by grace, so that she might, in turn, give him back to the world.
In Mary’s divine motherhood, then, we see the meeting of two immense, “unarmed” realities: that of God, who renounces every privilege of his divinity to be born in the flesh (cf. Phil 2:6-11), and that of a human person who, trustingly and fully, embraces God’s will. In a perfect act of love, she offers him the greatest power she possesses: her freedom.
Reflecting upon this mystery, Saint John Paul II invited us to contemplate what the shepherds found in Bethlehem: “the disarming tenderness of the Child, the surprising poverty in which he is found and the humble simplicity of Mary and Joseph.” These realities transformed their lives, making them “messengers of salvation” (Homily at Mass on the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, XXXIV World Day of Peace, 1 January 2001).
He spoke these words at the conclusion of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, in terms that resonate with our reflection today: “How many gifts,” he affirmed, “how many extraordinary occasions the Great Jubilee has offered to believers! In the experience of forgiveness received and given, in the commemoration of the martyrs, in listening to the cry of the world’s poor… we too have glimpsed the saving presence of God in history. We have, as it were, physically felt his love which renews the face of the earth” He then concluded: “Just as he asked the shepherds who hastened to adore him, Christ asks of believers, to whom he has given the joy of meeting him, a courageous readiness to set out once again to proclaim his Gospel, old and ever new. He sends them to enliven our human history and culture with his saving message.”
Dear brothers and sisters, on this Solemnity, at the beginning of the new year, and as we approach the conclusion of the Jubilee of Hope, let us draw near to the Nativity scene in faith. Let us approach it as the place of “unarmed and disarming” peace par excellence – a place of blessing where we recall the wonders the Lord has worked in the history of salvation and in our own lives. Then, like the humble witnesses at the grotto, let us set out once more, “glorifying and praising God” (Lk 2:20) for all that we have seen and heard. May this be our commitment and our resolve for the months ahead, and, indeed, for the whole of our Christian lives.
(A selection from the homily of Pope Leo XIV for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, January 1, 2026.)
My Prayer for You
Please join me in this popular prayer for peace traditionally attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.