Christian World | Pope Leo XIV told Christian and other faith leaders in Buenos Aires on Monday that religions were never a cause of division and are expressions of freedom

ACW | November 10, 2026 — Pope Leo XIV told leaders of Christian communities and other religious traditions in Buenos Aires on Monday that religions "were never a cause of division," according to the official text of the address released by the Vatican.

Speaking at the Palacio San Martín, the pope said religions in Argentina's history had been "a meeting point and a source of commitment to society." He named Catholics, Evangelicals and Jews as the country's first religious communities, joined "later" by "many others."

He described religions as "expressions of our freedom." Vatican News reported that he called them guardians of human dignity and places where hope can be cultivated, and said dialogue requires neither relativism nor a blending of beliefs.

The pope warned against "the idol of domination," saying: "We are not the god of others." He also rejected "the idol of war, because there is only one Lord and Judge of history."

Leo cited the Second Vatican Council's declaration Nostra Aetate on the Church's spiritual ties to the Jewish people and its respect for "whatever is holy and true" in other religious traditions. He also quoted a prayer from Pope Francis's encyclical Fratelli Tutti.

Neither the official text nor the Vatican News report named the leaders or communities present.

Background: The meeting took place on the pope's second day in Argentina, part of a trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru that runs from Nov. 6 to 17. ACW reported his first speech in the country in Pope Leo tells Argentina's leaders authority must be service.

Why it matters: In the address, Pope Leo called religions "expressions of our freedom" and said human life must be defended "always and for everyone, from conception to its natural end," according to the Vatican's official text.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: The Holy See — Address of Pope Leo XIV to leaders of Christian communities and religious traditions, Buenos Aires; Vatican News — Pope in Buenos Aires: Religions must build bridges, not division

Photo: Vatican News — Pope Leo XIV meets religious leaders in Buenos Aires