By Devin Watkins

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development released a statement on Tuesday offering details about Pope Leo XIV’s chosen theme for the 2026 World Day of Peace.

“Peace be with you all: Towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace” is the theme for the annual celebration dedicated to universal peace, held on January 1, the liturgical Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

The theme, noted the press release, “invites humanity to reject the logic of violence and war, and to embrace an authentic peace based on love and justice.”

On the evening of his election to the papacy on May 8, 2025, and on several other occasions since then, Pope Leo XIV appealed for peace with a characteristic phrase—“unarmed and disarming”—to characterize the type of peace he hopes for the world.

“This peace must be unarmed, that is, not based on fear, threats or weapons,” noted the press release. “And it must be disarming, capable of resolving conflicts, opening hearts and generating mutual trust, empathy and hope.”

“It is not enough to call for peace,” it said. “We must embody it in a way of life that rejects every form of violence, whether it be visible or systemic.”

The Dicastery’s press release pointed to the universal call for all humanity to seek peace, no matter our religious affiliation or role in society.

“The greeting of the Risen Christ, ‘Peace be with you’ (Jn 20:19), is an invitation addressed to everyone—believers, non-believers, political leaders and citizens—to build the Kingdom of God and to work together to build a humane and peaceful future,” concluded the statement.

New book of Pope’s first speeches

Separately, the Vatican Publishing House (LEV) released a new book that gathers the first public addresses of Pope Leo XIV, with their strong undertone of peace.

“And Let There Be Peace! Words to the Church and the World” will hit bookshelves in English, Italian, and Spanish on August 27.

A press release recalled the Pope’s use of the binomial “unarmed and disarming,” noting that it was first written by French monk Charles-Marie Christian de Chergé, O.C.S.O.

The Abbot of the Abbey of Our Lady of Atlas in Tibhirine was martyred in 1996 alongside his six brother monks at the Cistercian Abbey in Algeria.

As the press release noted, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Pope on May 8, the liturgical memorial of the Martyrs of Algeria.

Summarizing the book’s contents, the communique said Pope Leo has transmitted several of his priorities, which include “the primacy of God, the communion of the Church, and the search for peace.”

“His already numerous appeals for reconciliation are directed not only to politics but to the heart of every person,” read the communique, citing the Pope: “Peace begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others.”