At interreligious gathering, Pope Leo reflects on prayer

November 10, 2026

Pope Leo XIV reflected on prayer during a meeting last evening with Argentine representatives of other Christian communities and world religions (video).

“I am here among you as the Successor of the Apostle Peter, and as I profess with him faith in Christ, ‘the Son of the living God’ (Mt 16:16), true God and true man, I acknowledge the baptismal unity with our brothers and sisters of the Christian confessions,” Pope Leo said during the encounter at San Martín Palace in Buenos Aires. “In accordance with the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, I wish to reaffirm the spiritual ties that unite the Church to the Jewish people and our sincere respect for whatever is holy and true in the different religious traditions.”

“Our meeting is founded on listening, which makes mutual understanding possible and allows us to reflect together on an action that we perform every day, namely prayer,” the Pope continued. “Focusing on this experience, I would like to consider with you today three aspects that emerge from sincere prayer, in which our beliefs find a voice: religions as guardians of human dignity, religions as expressions of our freedom, and religions as places in which to cultivate hope.”

In doing so, Pope Leo called for corresponding commitments to the defense of life, freedom, and justice:

As we praise God for the gift of life, let us defend it, always and for everyone, from conception to its natural end, especially when it is threatened by poverty and violence ...

As we praise God for the gift of salvation, let us commit ourselves to being a sign of this gift for the world. In this way, religions give the fullest expression to our freedom ...

As we praise God for the gift of hope, let us share it with those who suffer in poverty, with those who have lost the meaning of life and with all who wish to commit themselves to renewing the world in justice.

Quoting St. John Paul II, the Pontiff added that “we wish to show the world that the genuine impulse to prayer does not lead to opposition and still less to disdain of others, but rather to constructive dialogue, a dialogue in which each one, without relativism or syncretism of any kind, becomes more deeply aware of the duty to bear witness and to proclaim.”

 

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Further information:

• Apostolic journey to Argentina: Meeting with the leaders of Christian communities and religious traditions (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 11/9/26)
• Meeting with Leaders of Christian Communities and Religious Traditions in the “Palacio San Martín” (Holy See Press Office, 11/9/26)
• Pope in Buenos Aires: Religions must build bridges, not division (Vatican News, 11/9/26)