Pope Leo XIV Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 With Call for Global Peace

Pope Leo XIV has commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with prayers for those who lost their lives and a renewed appeal for peace in a world still affected by war and violence.

Speaking from the Vatican on Sunday, the first American pope remembered the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks and those who continue to suffer from their consequences.

Pope Leo urged the faithful to remember the tragedy not only as a moment of profound loss but also as a reminder of the need to work for peace.

“Remembering the tragedy of September 11, 25 years ago, should renew in all of us the commitment to peace,” the pope said, according to Vatican News. He also called on people to pray for those who died and for a world struggling with continuing conflicts.

The September 11 attacks remain one of the defining tragedies of the 21st century. On September 11, 2001, hijackers affiliated with al-Qaeda seized four commercial aircraft. Two were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York, another struck the Pentagon in Virginia, while the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to take control of the plane.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, which dramatically reshaped US foreign policy, global security and international relations.

This year’s anniversary has been marked by ceremonies across the United States, including solemn commemorations at the World Trade Center site in New York, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. Victims’ names were read aloud as families and officials gathered to remember those who died.

For Pope Leo, the anniversary carries a particularly personal dimension. He was in Rome on September 11, 2001, attending an Augustinian assembly when news of the attacks reached him. He became superior general of the Augustinian order shortly afterwards.

Vatican News has recalled a homily Leo delivered 10 days after the attacks, when he reflected on the roots of violence and hatred and pointed to poverty and injustice as issues that could contribute to conflict.

His latest message comes against the backdrop of numerous conflicts and humanitarian crises around the world. The pope has repeatedly made peace a central theme of his papacy, calling for dialogue and reconciliation while urging governments and communities to reject violence.

The Vatican has also highlighted the responses of previous popes to the September 11 attacks. Pope John Paul II condemned the attacks and repeatedly called for reconciliation, justice and peace in the aftermath.

As the United States and families of the victims mark a quarter-century since the attacks, Pope Leo’s message places remembrance alongside a broader appeal: that the memory of those killed should strengthen rather than weaken the world’s determination to prevent future violence.

The 25th anniversary has therefore become both a day of mourning and reflection, with religious and political leaders urging societies to remember the human cost of terrorism while seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts that continue to claim lives around the world.