Europe’s military buildup is a ‘betrayal’ of diplomacy, says Pope Leo

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday criticised Europe’s rising military spending, calling the continent’s rearmament drive a “betrayal” of diplomacy and warning that increased defence budgets deepen insecurity rather than promote peace.

Addressing students at Rome’s Sapienza University, the pontiff said growing investment in weapons was diverting resources from education and healthcare while enriching elites.

“Let us not call ‘defence’ a rearmament that increases tensions and insecurity, impoverishes investments in education and health, betrays trust in diplomacy, and enriches elites who care nothing for the common good,” he said.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, military spending in Europe rose 14% in 2025 to $864 billion, the largest annual increase since the end of the Cold War. The rise has been driven by the war in Ukraine and pressure from US President Donald Trump for NATO members to sharply increase defence spending.

At Trump’s urging, NATO endorsed a new target last year for members to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defence.

Pope Leo also warned against the use of artificial intelligence in warfare, saying conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran showed “the inhumane evolution of the relationship between war and new technologies in a spiral of annihilation.”

The pope urged students to reject narrow nationalism and ideological divisions.

“Together with me and with many brothers and sisters, be artisans of true peace,” he said.

Leo has emerged as an outspoken critic of the growing militarisation of global politics, repeatedly calling for diplomacy and negotiated solutions to international conflicts.