Pope Leo has criticised the surge of nationalist political movements in the world as he prayed for reconciliation and dialogue – a message in line with his pledges to make the Catholic Church a symbol of peace.

The Pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square in front of tens of thousands of faithful, and asked the Holy Spirit to “break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred”.

He declared: “Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for ‘security’ zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms.”

He did not name any specific country or politician.

Leo also recalled the words of late Pope Francis, who – on the feast of Pentecost in May 2023 – observed that i

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