Pope Leo XIV celebrates his 70th birthday today, a symbolic milestone not only for his age but also for his papal profile, which is already distinguished by unusual vitality, strong diplomatic engagement, and a powerful voice for global peace.
Not since Pope John Paul II in 1990 has a pontiff reached this age at the beginning of his papacy. Yet, Pope Leo XIV has shown no sign of slowing down. With tireless energy and a packed agenda, he has established a strong presence both on the international stage and within the internal life of the Church.
Since the very first day of his papacy, on May 8, he has made clear the path he intends to follow: a constant call for disarmed peace in a divided world. In just four months, he has made dozens of public appeals against war — from Ukraine to Gaza and across Africa — offering the Vatican as neutral ground for dialogue.
“We must look one another in the eye,” has become one of his most widely quoted calls.
Meanwhile, Vatican diplomacy, discreet and away from public view, has been active through regular talks with world leaders.
Inside the Church, Pope Leo XIV is striving to build bridges during a time of internal tensions. He has invited the LGBT community to participate in the upcoming Jubilee through an open pilgrimage, though without an official meeting. At the same time, he has extended gestures of reconciliation to conservatives by reopening the possibility of traditionalist celebrations in the Vatican.
Among the many birthday greetings, the most touching came from the colorful drawings of children hospitalized at the “Bambino Gesù” pediatric hospital in Rome — simple yet moving messages filled with the hope for peace that Pope Leo XIV preaches every day.
