Everyone must do their part for peace, including on social media, Pope Leo says

Speaking during a rosary for peace in the Vatican Gardens, Pope Leo said lasting peace begins with everyday acts of compassion and understanding. He also urged people to promote respectful dialogue on social media as part of that effort.

Reuters

31 May 2026 at 06:18:01

Everyone must do their part for peace, including on social media, Pope Leo says

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful after leading the Rosary at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens to mark the end of the Marian month, at the Vatican, May 30, 2026.

Yara Nardi/Reuters

Pope Leo said on Saturday (May 30) that peace stems from small gestures in everyone's daily life, including on social media, as he led a rosary for peace in the Vatican Gardens.

As the sun set over the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Pope was joined in prayer by a large crowd, along with various shrines around the world that took part via livestream.

"Peace becomes possible when we choose to listen to the cry of those deprived of it," Leo said during his address, adding that "everyone can and must do their part ... also on social media."

The Pope's reference to social media comes just days after he released his first encyclical dealing with the rise of artificial intelligence.

The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens, according to the Vatican Museums website, is a replica of the grotto where the Immaculate Conception is said to have appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 and features the original marble altar from the French grotto.

Production: Claudia Chieppa/Reuters