Pope Leo XIV condemns Europe’s rising military spending at Rome university

Pope Leo XIV used a visit to Sapienza University of Rome to deliver a pointed rebuke to Europe’s rearmament, telling students that the surge in military spending is a betrayal of diplomacy and warning against presenting weapons buildup as ordinary “defence” spending. He urged the university community to become “artisans of true peace” and framed the issue as a moral test, not a budget debate.

The timing sharpened the message. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said global military expenditure reached $2.887 trillion in 2025, up 2.9% from 2024 and the 11th straight year of increases. Europe was the biggest driver, with spending up 14% to $864 billion. NATO, meanwhile, has set a new commitment adopted at its June 2025 summit in The Hague: allies agreed to spend 5% of GDP annually on defense-related needs by 2035, including at least 3.5% for core defense and 1.5% for broader security-related spending.

Leo’s criticism landed in a Europe that is still absorbing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, while also watching tensions in Lebanon and Iran. He warned that the world is being maimed by wars and said the growing use of artificial intelligence in warfare shows how modern conflict is becoming more inhumane. He also praised a humanitarian corridor linked to the Diocese of Rome and Sapienza that is intended to widen access from the Gaza Strip.

Sapienza gave the setting symbolic weight. Founded in 1303, it describes itself as the largest university in Europe, with 125,332 students in the 2022-2023 academic year. Leo said the university community includes people with fewer resources, people with disabilities, prisoners and refugees fleeing war zones, tying his peace appeal to institutions built around education and social inclusion rather than military power.

The pope’s intervention also adds a new pressure point in his early papacy. Donald Trump recently accused him of “endangering” Catholics after the pope spoke out against the Iran war, and the Vatican said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was scheduled to meet Leo on May 7, just before the first anniversary of Leo’s papacy on May 8. As European governments argue that deterrence is necessary, Leo is pressing a different case: that militarization diverts money and political attention from education, health and the common good, while doing little to make the continent safer.