By Staff, Agencies

Pope Leo delivered his first major foreign policy address on Friday, condemning the growing reliance on military force to resolve international disputes and warning that the world is moving away from diplomacy grounded in dialogue.

“War is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading,” the pope told 184 ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.

He warned that diplomacy based on dialogue and consensus “is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force.”

Elected in May following the death of Pope Francis, Pope Leo described the weakening of international institutions as “a particular cause for concern” and called for renewed global commitment to peaceful conflict resolution.

Addressing recent developments in Venezuela, the pontiff urged the international community to “respect the will” of the Venezuelan people following the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro by United States forces on the orders of US President Donald Trump.

He stressed that nations must safeguard the “human and civil rights” of Venezuelans amid the ongoing political uncertainty.

The pope’s remarks were widely seen as a call for restraint and respect for national sovereignty, although he stopped short of directly naming the United States.