Power without armies: Pope Leo XIV and the art of international mediation

Translated by Francesca Valsecchi

A few months after the death of Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV gets the pontificate, in a phase of deep instability of the international order, stud by high intensity regional wars, hybrid conflicts and the crisis of multilateralism. In this setting, the Holy Seat becomes one of the main characters, and, despite being a global subject without coercive power, it remains a moral and symbolic force.

Leo XIV’s foreign policy is based on several elements: the centrality of the human being, the attention to poor people as geopolitical category, the defence of the international order as a "right order" and not as a simple equilibrium of powers. The dignity of the person, the safeguard of civils and the war against poverty are not marginal topics, but structural factors of international stability or instability. In this frame, the Holy Seat represents an unaligned actor, which does not belong to any block. This position gives the Pope a significant role at the diplomatic level.

The choice of the name Leo is not random, but it explicitly recalls the social commitment and the moderate reformism of Leo XIII. Besides, it is not random as nowadays global economic and social problems such as debt, exploitation, access to resources are central elements of the international security. In this perspective, peace cannot be reduced to the absence of war, but it corresponds to the construction of a fair and sustainable order.

Leo XIV deals with foreign policy through Vatican diplomacy, a widespread net of informal means which allows the Holy Seat to move around the global scene. It is a kind of diplomacy that operates far from the spotlight, preferring a silent mediation rather than media visibility.

Another diplomatic instrument which is used is the public discourse: speeches, hearings and messages are not simple pastoral remarks, but they manage to define moral messages, delegitimize precise practices and to orient the international public opinion. At the time of cognitive war, the capacity of affect narrations becomes an important form of soft power.

This position does not mean neutrality, on the contrary, Leo XIV is able to distinguish between aggression and defence, between political responsibilities and human suffering, without falling in the logic of blocs.

An example is the position statement on Gaza genocide where Pope Leo XIV expressed concern for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, calling for an immediate ceasefire and stressing the need to ensure access to humanitarian aid. Leo XIV addressed repeated calls for peace in other theatres of war, such as Ukraine or Sudan and Darfur, where he pleaded for urgent humanitarian interventions and a dialogue between the parties, reporting hunger, displacement and indiscriminate violence.

The Pope also criticised the use of religion to justify violence or nationalism, and reported acts of anti-Semitism such as Sydney attack, defining them “barbarism” and inviting people to international solidarity. The Pope condemned the logic of nuclear deterrence and the arms race, defining them “irrational” practices and incompatible with global security.

As Leo XIV underlines, “war does not resolve problems, but it amplifies them”, stressing the role of the Holy Seat as a global soft power actor. These interventions are not simple moral declarations, but they embody the role of the Pope in the diplomatic scene, which tries to leave a mark on international conflicts, using ethic authority, mediation and symbolic pressure, without using coercive instruments.

Thanks to his direct contacts with regional leaders, including the Israelian Prime Minister and the Palestinian representatives, the Pope tries to promote a positive dialogue and to sustain lasting peace initiatives. Leo XIV, despite not having coercive instruments, shows how the Vatican foreign politics can affect global crisis through moral authority, mediation and symbolic pressure. 

In a world which is fragmented by traditional wills, the Pope manages to reaffirm the role of the Holy Seat as a global moral power. Devoid of an armed force, but having a voice heard by millions of believers, the Pope keeps dialogues and diplomacy spaces open and bounds violence, reminding that foreign policy without ethic fundaments risks being reduced to pure conflict.

Mondo Internazionale APS - Riproduzione Riservata ® 2025