The Lebanese bishop sat alongside Leo XIV during today’s general audience in St Peter's Square. The pope mentioned the journey towards "full communion" and called to pray "for peace in Lebanon and the Middle East." To a group of athletes, he said: "the true goal is not material victory, but respect for your opponent." The catechesis on the Second Vatican Council's constitution on the liturgy “represents a sign of the unity of the human race in Christ.”
On 13 May 1981, feast day of Our Lady of Fatima 45 years ago, John Paul II was hit by two bullets. Today, Leo XIV remembered his predecessor before the general audience in St Peter's Square by kneeling at the spot where he was wounded. He dedicated today’s catechesis to Mary, "the perfect model" for the Church, entrusting to her "the cry for peace" of "peoples afflicted by war.”
At the general audience, continuing his commentary on “Lumen Gentium”, Leo XIV focused on the eschatological dimension of the Church, which “lives in service to the coming of the Kingdom of God”, interpreting the “dynamics of history” from the perspective of the Gospel. Earthly history is marked “by injustices and suffering”, but believers are “neither deluded nor despairing”. Ecclesiastical institutions “called to a continual conversion”.
Leo XIV spoke about his apostolic visit, "a message of peace" amid "wars" and "violations of international law,” an opportunity for “African peoples [. . .] to make their voices heard”, “strengthening bridges" in Algeria, and “countering the various forms of neo-colonialism” in Cameroon. In Angola, hope can resist the “empty promises of the powerful." The pope also mentioned the song by prisoners in Bata praising God.
Speaking at the end of the general audience, Leo XIV said that, “Only through negotiations can we reach an end to the war." He called for "dialogue" to become a tool for conflict resolution around the world. He also renewed his invitation to join a prayer vigil for peace in St Peter's next Saturday at 6 pm. In his catechesis on holiness, he described the latter as a gift that binds every baptised person.
Leo XIV spoke yesterday at Castel Gandolfo, stressing that Holy Week is a "time of peace," yet today there is “so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children.” He urged world leaders to “Come back to the table, to dialogue”, to find solutions. On Good Friday, he will carry the cross in the Via Crucis. In today’s audience, he spoke about the role of the laity, saying that, “we are all called to be missionary disciples”.
Leo XIV at the audience: the hierarchical structure – with the episcopate at its highest level – is a “sacred order” founded on the Apostles, “authoritative witnesses of the Resurrection”. To the Polish faithful: “Defend life from conception to its natural end”. Yesterday, at Castel Gandolfo: “Work for peace, not with weapons”.
Some 25,000 faithful welcomed Pope Leo XIV in St Peter's Square for today’s general audience. In his catechesis on the Constitution Lumen Gentium, the pope said that, “every baptized person is an active agent of evangelization”. The Church “cannot err in matters of faith”. May “true peace prevail among all peoples,” the pontiff said in his greetings to Arabic-speaking faithful from the Middle East.
During today’s general audience in St Peter's Square before some 15,000 faithful, Leo XIV remembered the Maronite priest killed in an Israeli attack. He “was a true shepherd,” said the pope, who called on everyone to pray for peace in Iran and the Middle East, and for all the civilian victims, especially the children. In his catechesis on Lumen Gentium, he stressed that, “the Church is one but includes everyone.”
Yesterday at Castel Gandolfo, the pope again called for action to "promote dialogue," and find solutions "without weapons" in the Middle East. This morning, he held his audience on Lumen Gentium. The Church is born from "God's plan for humanity”, and “Christ dwells in her and continues to give himself through the smallness and fragility of her members.”
Today, Ash Wednesday, Leo XIV spoke about Lent, a time of “true conversion” on the path to Easter, which is “the supreme revelation of God's merciful love” to be “interiorly renewed”. In his catechesis on Lumen Gentium, he said that "differences are relativized” in the liturgy, while “the Love of Christ [. . .] broke down the wall of separation between people and social groups.”
The pontiff called on the faithful to pray for "our brothers and sisters in Ukraine,” suffering from the cold and bombings. He expressed gratitude to dioceses in Poland and elsewhere for their assistance to the population. On the soon-to-expire New START treaty between Moscow and Washington, the pontiff urged action to “Ensure its concrete and effective follow-up.” Today’s catechesis was centred on “the Word of God in human words”.
In today’s general audience, Leo XIV cited the "painful remembrance" evoked by International Holocaust Remembrance Day. He prayed to God for "a world without antisemitism and prejudice”, stressing that the community of nations should “remain ever vigilant.” In his catechesis on the relationship between Scripture and Tradition, he stressed that the Word of God “is not fossilized but [. . .] is a living and organic reality”.
The catechesis in today’s audience in the Paul VI Hall focused on the Second Vatican Council and Dei Verbum. The knowledge about God is "relational", realised in Jesus the "mediator," with his "integral humanity." Salvation also comes from the "real body" of Jesus. The pontiff also focused on building strong bonds of unity during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Leo XIV held his first general audience of 2026 in the Nervi Hall, in the presence of 7,000 people. He began the reflections on the Council documents to “continue to seek ways and means to implement its insights," and “achieve ecclesial reform more fully”. The pope is also set to preside over his first extraordinary consistory this afternoon, with all the cardinals summoned to Rome.
The pope continued his series of Jubilee catechesis in St Peter's. He noted that modern life is marked by "constant movement”, and that inner emptiness shows that "we are not machines." Instead, the heart reaches out to "God who is Love," a "treasure" obtained by loving "brothers and sisters in flesh and blood”. The pontiff hopes the nativity scene will continue to be part of Christmas.
During today’s audience in St Peter's, the pontiff spoke about his upcoming visit to Turkey and Lebanon (27 November-2 December). In his address, he called on the faithful to “accompany me with prayers.” Yesterday in Castel Gandolfo, he said that his trip will be “an exceptional opportunity to promote unity”. Speaking about Israeli raids in Beirut, he called for "the pursuit of peace." In his Jubilee catechesis, he said that “the lack of confidence in life” is “a widespread sickness”.
If we are not “the custodian of the garden,” we become its “destroyer”, the pope said in his Jubilee catechesis in St Peter's Square. He described the contemplative life, as a “silent, fruitful, and irreplaceable apostolate”. The second World Children's Day is scheduled for September 2026; a young boy from Gaza presented the logo to the pontiff. Last night in Castel Gandolfo, he called for a “ceasefire and then dialogue” in Ukraine.
In his catechesis dedicated to the perspective on others conveyed by Easter spirituality, Leo said that humanity “is best fulfilled when we are and live together.” Hence, everyone should heed Saint Francis’s greeting: “Tutti Fratelli”. The pontiff also paid tribute to Mother Eliswa Vakayil, the new blessed from Kerala, who inspired people working for the dignity of women. In his address to Polish pilgrims marking the end of the Great War, he stressed that nothing is better than peace.
At the general audience, the pontiff called for prayers to end armed conflicts, with a particular focus on Myanmar, urging the international community to provide humanitarian assistance. Last night at Castel Gandolfo, he spoke about Gaza, and the second phase, which should guarantee "the rights of all peoples”. The Jubilee catechesis at today's general audience focused on the relevance of the Easter message. For Christians, “every day is Easter.”
The pope devoted today’s general audience to mark the anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Church's Relations with non-Christian Religions, which is “called to rekindle [. . .] hope in our world, devastated by war”. The pontiff urged religious leaders and representatives gathered in front of St Peter's to “act together” since the “world needs our unity." The "martyrs of dialogue" were remembered last night in the Paul VI Hall.
At the general audience, during his Jubilee catechesis, Leo XIV offered his thoughts about the Gospel of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. “The gesture of breaking bread reopens the eyes of the heart,” he said. At the end, he invited the faithful to renew their “active cooperation in the Church's mission." He also remembered Saint John Paul II on his liturgical feast day, saying that “47 years ago, in this square, he urged the world to open itself to Christ.”
At the audience in St Peter's Square, the pontiff continued the jubilee cycle of catechesis with the last segment on the Resurrection and “the challenges of today's world”. “We would like to be happy, yet it is very difficult to achieve it,” he said. The Risen Jesus is “the source that satisfies our thirst”. He is our “companion” on the journey and “the destination of our journey”.
Prevost at the general audience renewed his invitation to pray the Holy Rosary “for peace in the world”. Last night to the press: “Reduce hatred, return to the capacity for dialogue”. The trip to Turkey is “to look ahead”; to Lebanon to ‘proclaim a message of peace in the Middle East’. Catechesis on the Resurrection: ‘No night is eternal’.
Prevost continued the cycle of Jubilee catechesis at the audience. Last night in Castel Gandolfo, dialogue with the press. On Trump's plan for Gaza: “A realistic proposal. I hope Hamas accepts it”. On the Global Sumud Flotilla: “May people be respected”. US “vocabulary” on war shows “increased tensions”: “Always work for peace”.
At the audience, speaking to 35,000 people standing in the rain, Leo XIV called on the faithful to pray the rosary for peace every day in October. To this end, a meeting is set for Saturday, 11 October in St. Peter's Square. “I invite you to nourish yourselves with science for a peaceful future,” he said to Arabic-speaking students who start the school year. “The Lord descends where man has hidden out of fear,” and “brings him back to the light,” Leo said during the catechesis.
From St Peter's Square, Leo XIV spoke about the emptying of Gaza City under “unacceptable conditions”, stressing that “every person always has an inviolable dignity,” and that “international humanitarian law” must be upheld. The pontiff also issued a message for religious leaders gathered in Kazakhstan. “The future we envision” is one “of peace, fraternity and solidarity,” he said. Yesterday, he met with Karekin II, Catholicos of the Armenian Church. In his Jubilee catechesis, Leo explained that, “God works in depth, in the slow time of trust.”
From St Peter's, in front of 35,000 faithful in the rain, Pope Leo reflected on Christ's cry on the cross: “Not despair, but sincerity, truth taken to the limit”. When it is not held back, it is “hope that does not give up”. It replaces words: “threshold of new light” even in the final hour.
During today’s general audience in St Peter's Square, the pope delivered the catechesis on the final moments in the earthly life of Jesus, whose thirst is that of humanity: a "profound desire" for love. Salvation lies "in the art of asking without shame and offering without ulterior motives”. Leo also offered a prayer for the people of Sudan, devastated by war, famine, and now a devastating landslide that caused countless deaths.
At the general audience, Leo makes a new appeal for the release of Israeli hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. He expressed his support for yesterday's declaration by the Latin and Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Jerusalem. In his catechesis to the faithful, commenting on Jesus's attitude at the start of his Passion, he said that “even in the darkest hour, we can remain free to love to the very end.”
