POPE'S EPIPHANY ANGELUS: 'MAY INDUSTRY OF WAR BE REPLACED BY CRAFT OF PEACE'

Pope's Epiphany Angelus: 'May industry of war be replaced by craft of peace'

Pope Leo XIV prays the Angelus on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, reflecting on the Magi adoring the Christ Child, and invites us to be 'weavers of hope' where 'in the place of inequality, there may be fairness,' and where 'the industry of war be replaced by the craft of peace.'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"In the gifts of the Magi, we see what each one of us can share, what we can no longer keep for ourselves but are to give to others, so that the presence of Jesus can grow in our midst."

Pope Leo XIV expressed this in his Angelus address today, January 6, 2026, for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. After the Mass for the Solemnity this morning in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo gave his Angelus address at noon and led the recitation of the midday prayer with the faithful in Saint Peter’s Square.

The Three Kings' journey, departure, and precious gift giving to Baby Jesus, Pope Leo told the faithful, is a powerful reminder that we are to give all ourselves and all that we have to Jesus, "our inestimable treasure." 

What kneeling before Infant of Bethlehem also means for us

"Kneeling like the Magi before the Infant of Bethlehem means, also for us," Pope Leo expressed, "to profess having found that true humanity in which the glory of God shines forth." 

"In Jesus," he reminded, "the true life appears, the living man, the one who does not exist for himself but is open and in communion, who teaches us to say, 'on earth as it is in heaven.'” (Mt 6:10). 

In this context, the Pope underscored, "the divine life is within our reach" and "it is made manifest so that we might be included in its dynamic freedom, which loosens the bonds of fear and enables us to encounter peace. "

Stressing that this represents both a possibility and an invitation,  since "communion cannot be constrained," the Pope asked: "What else could we desire more than this?"

The risk-taking and gift giving of the Magi

Reflecting on Saint Matthew's Gospel account, and what we see in our nativity scenes, the Pope recalled how the Magi present to the Baby Jesus several precious gifts, namely gold, frankincense and myrrh.

"They may not seem to be useful for a baby, but they express a desire that gives us much to reflect on as we reach the end of the Jubilee year," namely that, "the greatest gift is to give everything."

From a different perspective, but to illustrate the same point, Pope Leo remembered "that poor widow, noticed by Jesus, who put into the Temple treasury her last two pennies, all that she had."

Our inestimable treasure

The Pope recognized that we do not know anything about the possessions of the Magi, who came from the East, "but their departure, their risk-taking and their gifts themselves suggest that everything, truly everything that we are and possess needs to be offered to Jesus, who is our inestimable treasure." 

The Pope then turned to the Jubilee of Hope which concluded today with the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica.

"For its part," he said, "the Jubilee has reminded us of the justice founded on gratuitousness, of the original jubilee prescriptions, which included a call for the integration of peaceful living, a redistribution of the land and its resources, and a restoration of “what one has” and “what one is” to the designs of God, which are greater than ours."

Hope must be grounded in reality

With this in mind, Pope Leo stressed, "the hope that we proclaim must be grounded in reality, for Jesus came down from heaven in order to create a new story here below." 

He expressed therefore that in our recalling the Magi's gifts, that we likewise consider what we can personally share with others, to help magnify Christ's presence, so that His Kingdom may grow, His words come to fulfilment in us, and strangers and enemies become brothers and sisters.  

"In the place of inequality, may there be fairness, and may the industry of war be replaced by the craft of peace," Pope Leo said.  

"As weavers of hope," he concluded, "let us journey together towards the future by another road."

Celebrating Missionary Childhood Day

After he imparted his Apostolic Blessing, Pope Leo XIV greeted all those gathered in Saint Peter's Square and offered them his "good wishes for the New Year in the light of the Risen Christ."

He also recalled that the Solemnity of the Epiphany also marks Missionary Childhood Day. He greeted and thanked children and young people who around the world pray for missionaries and are committed to helping their less fortunate peers. 

Finally, the Pope also addressed the ecclesial communities of the East, who on January 7 will celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar, praying that the Lord Jesus may grant them and their families serenity and peace.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-01/pope-at-angelus-epiphany-6-january-2026.html