Pope praises sacredness, beauty of Eastern liturgies; laments effects of wars on Middle East’s Christians

June 18, 2026

Pope Leo XIV lauded the sacredness of Eastern liturgies and decried the effects of war during an audience today with participants in a meeting of members of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO).

The Pope praised the organizers for devoting the meeting to the theme of formation of Eastern Catholic clergy and monks.

“Supporting a Church, in fact, does not mean merely providing it with material means of subsistence, but also helping it to grow in its identity and in its ability to evangelize, which are based on the formation of ministers called to spread its spiritual riches,” Pope Leo said. “Yes, the Eastern Catholic Churches have a great gift to offer the entire Catholic community, which is often unaware of the diverse ecclesial traditions within its ranks.”

The Pope explained:

All the ancient Eastern Churches, in fact, lead us back to the origins of the faith. They make the light of grace shine forth through liturgies rich in sacredness; they manifest in the worship of praise the mystery of God, who is to be adored; they bear witness to the power of intercessory prayer; they offer spiritual riches that fill the heart with wonder and grateful amazement at the beauty they reveal. They also lead the faithful to give voice to their own prayer according to the theological and anthropological characteristics most suited to each ...

The Christian East can only be preserved if it is understood: to lose that understanding is to impoverish the Church. But to learn about it and love it, we must invest in formation.

Pope Leo urged those who aid Eastern Christians to “nurture your spiritual life, especially through constant prayer and participation in the sacraments.”

“Good works, in fact, bear no lasting fruit unless they are nourished at the source of goodness, the source who is God,” the Pope warned. “If it is true that ‘faith without works is also dead,’ as we read in the Letter of James (2:26), it is likewise true that works, without a living faith, are fruitless.”

Deploring the effects of war, the Pope added:

How can we fail to think of the painful exodus of Eastern Christians from their own lands, caused above all by war—which, I repeat, does not solve problems but creates tragedies, tragedies that are often consigned to oblivion? There is a plague, a scourge born of war, which I would like to speak about today, one that continues to drain the life blood of the Eastern Churches in particular. I define it with a single word: instability.

“Let us pray to Jesus, the Lord of peace, and appeal to people’s consciences so that they may be moved by indignation; and may respect for humanity and a proper sense of civility be restored,” Pope Leo concluded. “To you and to the many donors who, in the name of the Gospel, continue to commit yourselves to remedying such inhumanity, I offer my heartfelt thanks. I bless you, dear brothers and sisters and encourage you to persevere in charity without losing heart, sustained by the hope of Christ.”

 

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Further information:

• To Participants in the Meeting of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO) (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 6/18/26)
• Audience with participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO) (Holy See Press Office, 6/18/26)