Bologna, August 16, 2026 – True peace can only come from reconciliation among peoples. In the park of Villa Revedin, the Ferragosto homily – the liturgical feast of the Assumption – by Cardinal Archbishop Matteo Zuppi focuses on Mary, a model of harmony and concord among men. «She, like all mothers – are the words of the cardinal –, wants a home where children love each other. Since she knows us all, she knows we are different, yet she asks us to love one another because only in this way can a world at war and divided like ours be overcome.»
Pope Leo continues to work for a disarmed and disarming peace. The path is very narrow and in the case of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine it passes through a humanitarian channel and a diplomatic axis in the Vatican ignited precisely by Zuppi in 2023. The archbishop is expected to return to Russia in September for a new humanitarian mission, having a clear understanding of the line drawn by the pontiff. «The ideal of a disarmed and disarming peace is not naive as some think, on the contrary it is realistic because it is the only way to stop the destroyer. Only those who are disarmed can understand what proportionate defense is, seek solutions to conflicts with courage, going like Saint Francis to speak with the wolves and being able to do so precisely because he was disarmed. Francis knew that it was not force that ended violence, but reconciliation, rethinking together as happened when bringing the wolf back to Gubbio to rebuild that fraternity that had been broken».
The contrast with the culture of power that normalizes armed conflicts and justifies a world order based on the domination of poorer populations is evident. «The lords of force become the lords of war with the deadly and terrible instruments of destruction and also with the accomplices who prepare the ground, who foster violence and hatred. Even those who question solidarity, who no longer know how to seek what unites and end up thinking they are themselves by affirming what divides become foolish and presumptuous servants of these lords.»
The overlap between possession and love is another very current issue: «When a man believes himself so powerful as to be God he becomes dangerous to himself and to others». The religious function was accompanied by the traditional concert performed by the Union of Bolognese Bell Ringers for a 72nd edition characterized by the great participation of those who stayed in the city for Ferragosto.
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