Vatican message to Muslims: Do not yield to despair or violence, but seek peace
February 20, 2026
In its annual message for the month of Ramadan, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue called on Muslims not to “yield to despair or to violence,” but instead strive to restore “peace to our broken world.”
Lent and Ramadan are commemorated at the same time this year “through a providential convergence of calendars,” wrote the dicastery’s prefect and secretary, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad and Msgr. Indunil J.K. Kodithuwakku. “This shared journey allows us to acknowledge our inherent fragility and to confront the trials that weigh upon our hearts.”
“When we suffer trials—whether personal, familial or institutional—we often believe that understanding their causes will reveal a clear path forward,” they continued. “Yet we frequently discover that the complexity of these situations exceeds our strength ... At such moments, a question naturally arises: how can we find a way forward? From a purely human perspective, the answer may appear elusive, leaving us with a sense of helplessness.”
Cardinal Koovakad and Msgr. Kodithuwakku then warned:
It is precisely then that the temptation can emerge to yield to despair or to violence. Despair can seem like an honest response to a broken world, while violence may present itself as a shortcut to justice that bypasses the patience required by faith. Yet neither can ever be an acceptable path for believers.
“Indeed, we—Christians and Muslims, together with all people of good will—are called to imagine and to open new paths by which life may be renewed,” the prelates said. “This renewal is made possible through a creativity nourished by prayer, the discipline of fasting that clears our inner vision, and concrete acts of charity.”
The message, dated February 17 and released today, concluded with a call for peace:
Dear Muslim brothers and sisters, especially those among you who struggle or suffer in body or spirit because of your thirst for justice, equality, dignity and freedom: please be assured of my spiritual closeness, and know that the Catholic Church stands in solidarity with you. We are united not only by our shared experience of trial, but also by the sacred task of restoring peace to our broken world ...
Such peace is a gift received from God and nurtured by defusing hostility through dialogue, practicing justice, and cherishing forgiveness. Through this shared season of Ramadan and Lent, may our inner transformation become a catalyst for a renewed world, where the weapons of war give way to the courage of peace. With these sentiments, I pray that the Almighty may fill each of you with his merciful love and divine consolation.
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