The following excerpt resonates with our commitment to peace through dialogue and prayer, which continues to shape the life and work of the sisters and family of Sion.
“An essential service that religions must render to a suffering humanity is to guard against the growing temptation to weaponise even thoughts and words. The great spiritual traditions, as well as right reason, teach us to look beyond blood ties or ethnicity, beyond associations that accept only those who are similar and reject those who are different. Today, we see that this cannot be taken for granted. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly common to drag the language of faith into political battles, to bless nationalism, and to justify violence and armed struggle in the name of religion. Believers must actively refute, above all by the witness of their lives, these forms of blasphemy that profane the holy name of God. Therefore, alongside action, it is more necessary than ever to cultivate prayer, spirituality, and ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue as paths of peace and as languages of encounter within traditions and cultures. Throughout the world, it is to be hoped that ‘every community become a “house of peace”, where one learns how to defuse hostility through dialogue, where justice is practiced and forgiveness is cherished.’*”
*Leo XIV, Address to the Bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference (17 June 2025).
Read the full message on the website of the Holy See.