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Dear brothers and sisters,

Peter's profession of faith, which resounds throughout history in his successors, reveals to us the mystery of God revealed in Christ for our salvation. This message of salvation remains vital today, upheld by the intercession of so many of our brothers and sisters in the faith, who accompany us today from heaven. It is not surprising that the land that now welcomes us has borne rich fruits of holiness.  The example of those who have gone before us on this path continues to inspire us to follow in their footsteps and to give our lives as Christ gave his for us, just as they so faithfully imitated him.

The city of Córdoba, the natural heir to the first episcopal see established in Argentina, has indeed been a home of saints.  Through its convents and churches, streets and hospitals passed men and women who, filled with love for Jesus, gave their lives for the Gospel.  Argentina was home to men and women such as Father Brochero and Mama Antula, to name but two, who were called by the Lord and sent on mission, without even realising how extraordinary their evangelizing work would be.  Indeed, we too, like all Christians, are merely humble servants, and all we must do is fulfil our duty (cf. Lk 17:10).

It is, then, a joyful duty to fulfill the mission that the Lord entrusts to each of us.  Yes, dear brothers and sisters, we are all called to holiness.  This is our task here on earth: to attain perfect union with God.  Moreover, this calling is always missionary: we must make known to others the beauty that we have come to know in Christ (contemplata aliis tradere).  As Christians, we must “teach what is consistent with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).  For this reason, I now make my own the exhortation of Saint Leo the Great, whose liturgical memorial we celebrate today and to whose protection I entrust myself: “Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning.  Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member.  Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God” (Sermon 1, in Nativitate Domini, PL 54, 192-193).

There is no better way to teach than by setting an example with one’s own life, for “the world expects from us a lifelong commitment and a witness of prayer” (Saint John Paul II, Homily, “Vélez Sarsfield” Stadium in Buenos Aires, 10 April 1987).  This demands unwavering, wholehearted commitment to Jesus Christ.  This is the example the saints have given us, and it is something that inspires us to live with hope, even amid difficulties.

Today, here in Córdoba, at the geographic heart of the country, we wish to give thanks to God for the diverse fruits of holiness borne by the men and women whom the Lord sent to this land of Argentina — whether they were born here or spent most of their lives here.  Just as Córdoba’s mountains are renowned for the beauty and harmony of their varied shapes and colours, so too are the Saints and Blesseds characterised by the different charisms and missions they received.  They offer a polyphonic witness to the universal call to holiness of every baptised person: the call to be conformed to Christ.  These saints, marked by their Argentinian identity, embody the unity between a passion for the Gospel and a commitment to building a fraternal and compassionate homeland.  All of them knew how to rise to the challenges of their time, transforming them into opportunities to proclaim the Good News — not theoretically, but by shaping their lives to become credible and effective witnesses to Christ’s love.

Let us begin by gratefully honoring the memory of Saint José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero.  This priest was truly in love with the Lord and knew how to draw strength for his life from prayer.  The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola changed his life forever and conformed him to Christ, making him a concrete example of what we prayed in the responsorial psalm: “Trust in the Lord, and do good” (Ps 37:3).  Only those who have experienced friendship with Jesus Christ are capable of undertaking the task of evangelization; only those who know they are loved by the Lord are capable of extending his kingdom of charity and justice, devoting all their energies to proclaiming the Gospel, armed with nothing but the crucifix and the holy rosary.

Similarly inspired by Ignatian spirituality, Saint María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, later known as Mama Antula, knew how to combine contemplation with service to neighbour. She recognised that the greatest act of fraternal charity is to bring others closer to God.  As my revered predecessor Pope Francis reminded us, the poor need God and people who express the power of Christian love in their lives (cf. Message for the Third World Day of the Poor, 13 June 2019, 8).  Following this same inspiration, Mama Antula tirelessly travelled the length and breadth of this country to show countless people the path to heaven.  Indeed, her guiding principle was to go wherever God was unknown, in order to make him known.

Two saints, two examples, two ways of identifying oneself with Christ, were inspired by the Lord himself in this region where we gather today to worship him.

Together with them, we also give thanks to God for the martyrs who confessed their faith even to the point of laying down their own lives.  Among them, we remember Saint Héctor Valdivielso Sáez and the Argentinian Blesseds who suffered martyrdom during the Spanish Civil War and in the Argentine provinces of La Rioja and Salta.

We thank the Lord for the gift he has given to the Church of shepherds after his own heart, such as Blessed Friar Mamerto Esquiú and Blessed Cardinal Eduardo Pironio.

We are particularly grateful for consecrated life, remembering the foundresses of religious congregations, such as Saint Nazaria Ignacia, Blessed María del Tránsito Cabanillas and Blessed Catalina de María Rodríguez.  We also remember the many other religious women, such as Blessed María Ludovica de Angelis and Blessed Crescencia Pérez, who, moved by ardent charity, dedicated their lives to the education of children and the care of the sick.

Lastly, the faithful People of God rejoice in the laypeople who, having received the proclamation of the Gospel, lived out their baptismal vocation to the fullest, loving God and their brothers and sisters in the simplicity of daily life.  Among them are Saint Artémides Zatti, Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá and Blessed Laura Vicuña.

Dear brothers and sisters, these Saints and Blesseds have already fulfilled their mission on earth.  Today, it is our turn to follow the radiant example of holiness they have left with us.  We celebrate this Holy Mass for the sanctification of the people of Argentina, for the sanctification of all of you.  Open your hearts, and with God’s grace, go forth and be holy (cf. 1 Thess 4:3): at school and in the town square, in family life and with friends, in the countryside and in the city, on the farm and in the office.  Go and evangelize!

Presiding over this celebration is the image of the poor Christ.  Father Brochero himself had it carved while lying on his sickbed, and the features of the people of this land are artistically reflected in Christ’s face.  Let his gaze challenge us, for in the shadow of his cross, we will find salvation and life, and the path to our own sanctification.  Through the intercession of Saint Leo the Great, I ask God to continue to bless us and to give us the grace to always proclaim: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).

10.11.26

Dear brothers and sisters,

It fills my heart with joy to celebrate this Holy Eucharist with you. “Come, behold the works of the Lord” (Ps 46:8), the psalmist invites us today.  My visit to this land of Argentina has allowed me to see on your faces the enthusiasm of your faith, that great gift of the Holy Spirit within us. The most beautiful work the Lord has entrusted to us is his Church, made visible whenever the people of God gather around the same table to give him thanks.

The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, which we celebrate today, brings us to the heart of what it means to be the Church. The Basilica of Saint John Lateran is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, and as such is a sign of unity and communion for all the Churches throughout the world. For this very reason, it is called the “Mother of all Churches.”

The motherhood of the Church of Rome finds expression in her service of communion, so that all the baptised may recognise one another as brothers and sisters in one household. In the Church, we are all welcomed as “members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph 2:19-21).

It is precisely the image of the temple that brings together the readings we have heard.

In this regard, the Gospel recounts a striking gesture by the Lord: Jesus drives the merchants out of the temple with a whip made of cords (cf. Jn 2:15).  In doing so, he seeks to restore the Father’s house to its true purpose. Humanity has always been tempted to “bargain” with God. This is the pagan mentality of giving in order to receive — the illusion that we can win God’s favour by offering him something of our own in return. Christ uproots this way of thinking, for God is Father, always ready to give us every good thing. In this way, the temple, the dwelling place of his presence, becomes once again a house of prayer for all his children.

From this house, according to the vision of the prophet Ezekiel, a river flows beneath the threshold towards the east (cf. Ez 47:1). This image is rich in meaning: its waters purify everything they touch, bringing creation to life and making every kind of tree flourish with fruit that never fails. The waters flow toward the region of the Arabah. With this detail, the biblical text is referring to the desert region that descends towards the great Dead Sea depression, where nothing grows, as its name suggests. Yet these waters are made wholesome: fish abound, and every living creature comes to life again.  Where there was death, now there is life; where there was sickness, now there is health; where there was barrenness, now there is fruitfulness.

The Psalm describes the earth shaking and mountains trembling in the depths of the sea. These images reflect the fragility and chaos that we so often encounter in human experience. Our families often face difficult circumstances: instability, social hardship, precarious employment, domestic violence, painful separations and addictions that destroy young people’s futures and damage family relationships. Amid all these hardships and crises, God’s word shines out as a source of hope: God is in our midst; we need not be afraid. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps 46:1). On the rock that is Christ, our families and society as a whole find the foundation that sustains the house and protects it from the storms that beat against it (cf. Mt 7:24-27).

As we celebrate the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica today, we call to mind the sign of God the Father’s saving presence in his Church. The Church, temple of the Spirit and mystical Body of Christ, offers us the living water that is Jesus himself, who cleanses and heals our wounds (cf. Jn 4:14). In the Lord’s presence, within his house, our families likewise find strength and healing, and never cease to bear fruit.

Dear brothers and sisters, through his resurrection, Christ has already made room for us in his heart. Welcome this grace into your families! With him and in him, every family can become a seed of genuine renewal for this country.  Throughout Argentina’s history, culture and society, the family has been a source of the fundamental values of its people. In this land, where different cultures and ethnic groups have come together, the family is the place where faith, human virtues, a culture of work, respect for the elderly, the defence of life and fidelity to one’s word are handed on. Do not give in to those who dismiss the Christian family as outdated. On the contrary, today more than ever, it remains a pillar amid the many insecurities of our time.

Open the doors of your homes to Christ! Speak naturally to your children about Jesus, and remain united to him. In the intimacy of the home, faith is passed on along with life itself, through the simplest gestures: a blessing before meals, a prayer before going to bed, forgiveness and mutual listening, grandparents teaching their grandchildren to pray, going to Mass on Sundays, and preparing for a retreat or a pilgrimage. Indeed, the family is a privileged place for coming to know and encounter Christ. Our beloved Pope Francis, who was Bishop of this city, expressed with great conviction that “the family is called to join in daily prayer, to read the word of God and to share in Eucharistic communion, and thus to grow in love and become ever more fully a temple in which the Spirit dwells” (Amoris Laetitia, 29).

Dear families, I encourage you to take a leading role in evangelization! The Church in Argentina needs you. Support the bishops, parish priests, pastoral workers and catechists in their mission. This Church is renewed and filled with enthusiasm when families, animated by faith, pray together and live out their ministry of proclaiming the Good News. In this way, your families bear fruit anew as you fulfill your educational mission “as a true ministry through which the Gospel is transmitted and radiated, so that family life itself becomes an itinerary of faith and in some way a Christian initiation and a school of following Christ” (Saint John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 39).

We entrust all our families to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Luján, and to her spouse, Saint Joseph. In the Holy Family of Nazareth, the Son of God found a home in this world. May he bless us, so that our homes, too, may become temples of his presence.

09.11.26

Dear brothers and sisters of this land of Uruguay,

With great enthusiasm, I am here with you today next to Our Lady of the Thirty-Three. I come as a pilgrim to share in the faith and the tenderness with which the Uruguayan people have looked at the Mother of God for generations. I say to those who have come from different places, to those who have been making the pilgrimage here for years, and to those who are visiting for the first time today: I embrace all of you with affection and entrust you to Mary’s protection.

Today, the word of God presents us with two women who lived in very different times and upon whom almost the same blessing is bestowed.  To Judith, after the liberation of her people, it was said: “O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all other women on earth” (Jud 13:18).  Many centuries later, Elizabeth welcomes Mary into her home and exclaims: “Blessed are you among women” (Lk 1:42).

This connection was recognized very early on by Christian tradition. In Judith, it saw a woman who did not allow herself to be overcome by fear at a difficult time for her people. Through prayer and fasting, she made a decision that led her to risk her own life (cf. Jud 8-10). When victory came, Judith did not take credit for it, for she knew full well who had saved Israel, and said: “Begin a song to my God with tambourines, sing to my Lord with cymbals” (Jud 16:1). That is why the words with which her people welcomed her are so majestic: “You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the great boast of Israel, you are the great pride of our nation!” (Jud 15:9). The people celebrated what God had done for them through Judith.

Hearing these words today before the Patroness of this country has a special resonance. This small image is linked to a decisive moment in Uruguay’s history. In 1825, those who were fighting for the freedom of this land also turned to Mary, to place the beginning of their efforts under her protection. That gesture reminds us that the history of peoples, too, cannot be fully understood without reference to God. Thus, from the earliest days of the nation’s founding, Uruguay has been intimately linked to a Mother. Since that time, generations have come and gone, circumstances have changed, including the relationship of many Uruguayans to the faith. Yet she has remained here.  While Mary accompanied the history of this people, at the same time in so many homes other women preserved the faith and passed it on to their children.

I think of the mothers who placed the first words of prayer on their children’s lips, who took them to be baptized, who prepared them to receive the sacraments, and who taught them to live out Christian charity.  I think of the grandmothers who kept an altar at home, who prayed for the living and the deceased and who made God present in the ordinary events of life. Even in the early days of the Church we find something similar.  Timothy’s faith was rooted in two women, with the Apostle fondly recalling Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.  In them, “sincere faith” had first taken root, which Paul also recognized in Timothy (cf. 2 Tim 1:5).  Scripture tells us little about those two women.  We know, however, that Timothy, who would become a close collaborator of Saint Paul, was formed by that faith learned at home (cf. Acts 16:1-3).

This land also has women’s names inscribed in its history of faith. Among them is Saint María Francisca Rubatto, who chose to remain among you and serve those most in need here. There are also the Blessed Martyrs Dolores and Consuelo Aguiar-Mella, two sisters born in Montevideo. Their lives were very different, but in all three we find supreme examples of faithfulness.

Yet most of this history of faith in the country was never written down in books.  It was quietly passed down from generation to generation within families.  When we wonder and ask where our faith comes from, the name of a specific woman often comes to mind: a mother, a grandmother, a godmother, a religious sister or a catechist. We may not remember every word they said to us, but we do remember how they prayed, how they spoke of the Lord and with what conviction they lived out what they taught us.

Today I would like to thank all of those women. Thank you for having believed and for having kept open a path to God in so many families.  Some were able to do so supported by a long-standing family tradition; others had to sustain that faith with greater effort, perhaps without always finding understanding or support within their own homes. I know that many of you carry a very specific sorrow.  You taught your children to pray, and today they no longer do so. You used to attend Mass together, and it has been years since they entered a church.  You spoke to your grandchildren about God, and now you do not know if those words left a mark. Sometimes you wonder if you did something wrong or if it was all futile.  Allow me to recall Saint Monica here, who knew that pain well. She prayed for years for a son who seemed to be drifting further and further from God, but she never stopped trusting in his grace. Therefore, do not consider what you have sown to be lost.  The Lord himself taught us that the seed can grow without the sower knowing how (cf. Mk 4:27).

Mothers and grandmothers: never tire of passing on the faith!  Preach with your lives as well as with your words.  Insist on prayer, love, and hope; insist on them in season and out of season (cf. 2 Tim 4:2). Do so with patience, without harshness or discouragement.  Even if your loved ones seem far from God, continue to place them before him. Do not stop blessing them, accompanying them, and simply reminding them of what they once received. There are doors that you cannot open, but God can.

I would also like to address the men — fathers and grandfathers. Your children and grandchildren need to see that the faith occupies a genuine place in the lives of the men in your family.  Imitate Saint Joseph, who took on the task of raising Jesus, bringing him to the temple, teaching him to work honestly and showing him that God must come first in a person’s life. Dear fathers and grandfathers, young people need to see that you pray, receive the sacraments, treat your wives with respect, ask for forgiveness and live with integrity, even when doing so requires sacrifice.  Children learn a great deal by seeing that their father can kneel before God without feeling that he is any less of a man for doing it.

Scripture called on God’s people to keep the words they have received from him in their hearts and to teach them to their children, to speak of them “when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise” (Deut 6:7).  God was central to conversation, decision making and daily family life.  In this way, children learned that the faith they received from their parents was also what their parents lived by.  Likewise today, bishops, priests and consecrated persons are also called to support families in this task, generously exercising their spiritual fatherhood and motherhood, accompanying those who falter and helping many to rediscover the path to God.

Passing on the faith means bringing others to Christ, whom we ourselves have encountered.  Mary shows us precisely how to do this.  In the Gospel, Elizabeth welcomes her exclaiming: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42). Mary does not keep that praise to herself.  When Elizabeth proclaims her blessed, Mary responds by singing of the Lord’s greatness (cf. Lk 1:46-55). At Cana, when others turn to her, she directs them to her Son: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5).

In the second reading, Saint Paul explicitly states a truth that Mary’s entire life proclaims: “There is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human” (1 Tim 2:5).  All of Mary’s greatness is based on her relationship with Christ: she welcomes him, lives by him, and leads others to him.  An encounter with the Master is the goal of all evangelization and of all authentic Marian devotion.  The Son of God has given himself up for all; thus, no one can be excluded from the Church’s prayer.  That is why Saint Paul asks us to pray “for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim 2:2), and for all people, because God “desires everyone to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4).

On this feast of the Patroness of Uruguay, let us bring this entire people before the Lord.  Let us pray for those who bear the responsibility of governing it, that they may seek with integrity the good of all; for families, for young people, for those who suffer, for those who feel far from God and for those who need to return to him and change their lives.

Saint Luke shows us how that mission begins. After conceiving the Son of God, Mary “set out and went with haste” (1:39). She does not wait for Elizabeth to come looking for her, but rather goes out to meet her and enters her home, carrying the Lord with her. There, the child leaps for joy, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 1:41-44). Mary’s action also points out the way for us. We cannot always wait for those who have strayed to return on their own. People of Uruguay: you must set out on the journey! You must enter people’s homes once more, draw near to them, listen to their questions and bring them to Christ!  Each of you knows a person toward whom you need to take that step: perhaps a child, a friend, a neighbour, someone who stopped believing long ago or who has never had anyone close to them to speak to them about God.

May the Queen of Heaven sustain those who continue to sow the faith. May she teach us to recognize Christ in the poor, the sick and those who are alone, and teach us to bring him to places where he is not yet known.

Soon I will place the Golden Rose before this image. With this gesture, I wish to honour the one who is indeed “the great pride of our nation” (Jud 15:9) and to make visible the fulfillment of the words she herself spoke: “All generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48).

To Mary, commander and guide of this people, I wish to consecrate this nation anew, to entrust this land and all who live in it to her protection and to implore God that, through her powerful intercession, he may thwart the works of the evil one and preserve beloved Uruguay from whatever might lead it away from Christ.  May this Golden Rose, offered as a sign of veneration and filial love, also remind her children that they are called to imitate her by loving Christ as she loved him, and bringing him to others as she brought him. Amen.

At the conclusion of this Eucharistic celebration, and before saying farewell to this beloved country, I wish to thank all the people who made my visit possible. I thank the civil and religious authorities, the groups that organized each event, the volunteers, the families and communities who came together and worked to make it possible for us to share these days together, as well as the people who have accompanied us through the various means of communication. I had been told that, although Uruguay is a relatively small country, its people have generous hearts and are capable of great things.  That has become evident over these past few days.  You have prepared everything so well, and I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you.

We have gladly shared the joy of faith in Christ, and we have witnessed how this joy has grown with each passing day.  May what we have experienced in Montevideo, in Paysandú and here in Florida spread to the rest of the country and the world.  Such is the mathematics of faith: what we have received and freely offer, with God’s grace, multiplies, opens new horizons and enriches our lives, giving them new meaning.  Dear brothers and sisters of Uruguay, help faith, hope and charity to continue growing.  Keep living and proclaiming the joy that springs from our encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ and you will have, as a result, a full and fruitful life.

Through the intercession of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, I ask God to bless the Uruguayan people and to guide them along paths of unity and peace.  I carry you in my heart and I ask that you continue to accompany me with your prayers. Thank you very much, Uruguay!

08.11.26

Dear brothers and sisters,

The readings we have just heard describe the figure of a righteous man whom the Lord helps and strengthens so that he may carry out the mission entrusted to him. In his Letter to the Philippians, Saint Paul expresses gratitude for the community’s support of his missionary work, conscious that, in his poverty, God is his only wealth and that divine providence is made manifest through the brothers and sisters to whom he has been sent.

The Psalm, for its part, calls blessed those who love the law of the Lord and whose deeds are consistent with their faith. Similarly, in the Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the honest man who serves God and who places the Lord at the center of his life, remaining faithful in everything entrusted to him, whether it be great or small.

Today, as we gather here in Paysandú to celebrate the Eucharist — rejoicing to see so many members of the Church in Uruguay assembled around the same table, together with pilgrims from neighboring countries — the Liturgy of the Word invites us to recall the presence of so many people of faith who came to the Río de la Plata region. From the earliest days of evangelization on this continent, they arrived in the name of the Lord to proclaim the great joy they themselves had experienced in encountering Christ. Like the angels who appeared to the shepherds (cf. Lk 2:10), they joyfully shared the Good News of the Gospel, expressing their faith through works of charity and mercy.

In this celebration, we also wish to remember and give thanks to God for the life and ministry of a son of this land: Blessed Jacinto Vera, Bishop of Montevideo, who bore faithful witness to the faith he proclaimed through generous charity and total dedication to the apostolic mission. He widely exercised his pastoral zeal, sparing no sacrifice. For instance, he often travelled on horseback to care for the sick, despite the great distances, the dangers of the journey, and the harsh weather. The “gaucho bishop” traveled the length and breadth of Uruguay three times, bringing faith and hope to its people. During the historic Siege of Paysandú in 1864, Bishop Vera took up residence on the Isla de la Caridad, across from the besieged city, to care for refugees and the wounded on both sides. He remained there until the siege ended, accompanying his people and pleading in the name of God for the armies of brothers to embrace one another in fraternal love.

Dear brothers and sisters, today it is our turn to continue the legacy left to us by these sowers of the Gospel. We must do so bearing in mind the word of God: with justice, honesty and faithfulness, recognizing that the message we proclaim does not belong to us. It is a treasure we have received from the Lord, and we carry it in earthen vessels (cf. 2 Cor 4:7).

Three symbols that characterize this region can help us reflect on the treasure of faith we have received and the mission now entrusted to us. The first is the bridge; the second the palm groves; and the third is the mate drink.

In this city of Paysandú stands the General Artigas International Bridge, which spans the Uruguay River, uniting two neighbouring countries. It is not difficult to imagine the benefits a bridge brings: openness, communication and exchange.  That is why it is so important to be builders of bridges! This is the vocation to which we are all called: to build bridges, strengthen bonds, unite, communicate and share the joy of faith, as Blessed Jacinto Vera did, “whether the time is favourable or unfavourable” (2 Tim 4:2).

Moreover, a bridge needs solid foundations if it is to withstand even the strongest currents. Indeed, just as a house built on rock stands firm in the midst of a storm, while one built on sand is in danger of collapsing (cf. Mt 7:24-27), so too a bridge needs proper foundations to withstand the force of wind and water. Whenever you go down to the riverbank and see the bridge, remember that this symbol represents us and reminds us of the importance of a solid Christian formation. We need to be well prepared to give an account of our faith to anyone who asks (cf. 1 Pet 3:15) and not allow ourselves to be carried away “by all kinds of strange teachings” (Heb 13:9). Only in this way can we become instruments of unity and bonds of charity.

The second symbol that characterizes and embellishes this land is the palm groves. The Book of Psalms tells us that “the righteous flourish like the palm tree” (Ps 92:12). This tree can withstand strong winds, has deep roots, rises straight toward the sky in search of light, and produces the sweet yatay fruit. This is a beautiful image of our origin and the destiny to which we are called: to take root in Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End of our lives, so that, by remaining united to him, we may bear good fruit (cf. Jn 15:5).

At the same time, we observe that palm trees in this region do not stand alone, but form groves; there are many of them, yet they are neither alone nor far apart. Likewise, the Church is a community of brothers and sisters that sinks its roots and draws from a common spring: the word of God, the sacraments, prayer and charitable works. Together, her faithful lift their eyes to praise Christ — the dawn from on high, whose light guides humanity’s steps along the path of peace (cf. Lk 1:78-79).

Finally, let us consider a symbol found in every home in this country, in every place of study and work, and at every gathering of friends. I am referring to mate, that drink so characteristic of South America, whose profound meaning you can explain better than I can. Surely, many of you enjoyed mate on your way to this celebration today and will have some again on your journey home. Mate has even made its way to Rome!

Mate is a sign of familiarity, friendship and encounter. It teaches us to share and to be together, strengthening the bonds that unite us as brothers and sisters. It is a sign of welcome, integration and shared values. “Drinking mate” is a ritual rich in symbolism, in which dialogue takes place without words and every detail holds its own meaning. I also think of those moments when one drinks mate alone, silently and prayerfully. In those moments of solitude, how often have so many of you entrusted to God your concerns and needs, your deepest desires and longings!

Dear brothers and sisters, we must reflect on these symbols that we share, which give us identity and a sense of belonging, which speak to us of our origins and point us toward the future. Faith, too, has been part of the life of the Uruguayan people since their earliest days, and it must be passed on to future generations with creative courage.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us of the importance of being faithful to the gifts we have received: “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much” (Lk 16:10). Many men and women, like Bishop Jacinto Vera, lived out these words. Faithful to the vocation they had received, they sowed the seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of the Uruguayan people. Those seeds remain alive in the community, but it is essential to continue providing the necessary conditions for them to grow and reach their full potential. This involves continuing to educate children and young people in the faith, accompanying families, supporting the elderly and carrying out works of charity.

Dear brothers and sisters, I encourage you to carry forward the mission of evangelization with enthusiasm. Be bridges, so that many may encounter Jesus.  Be a fraternal community that comes together and shares life, projects, dreams and hopes, especially with those most in need. Be a community of prayer that maintains an ongoing dialogue with the Lord as a friend speaks to a friend (cf. Jn 15:15). Christ is counting on all of you! Christ is counting on you!

May our heavenly Mother, Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, protect you on your journey through life and always guide you to an encounter with her Son, Jesus.

07.11.26 m

“If anyone serves me, they must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also” (Jn 12:26).  These words of Jesus speak directly to our hearts, calling us to follow him along the path that he himself has walked: the path to glory through the cross.  Along this journey — on which trials and sufferings are not spared us — we are guided and sustained by a promise: that of a communion over which death has no power.  Indeed, whoever follows Christ becomes his servant and will always be where he is, precisely because they have followed his path.  Hence Saint Paul affirms: “If we have died with him, we will also live with him” (2 Tim 2:11).  Dear friends, this certainty of faith and hope inspires our celebration for the repose of the souls of the Cardinals and Bishops who have left us during the past year.  We wish to pray to the Lord for them, that he may reward his faithful servants.

Our prayerful remembrance invites us to reflect on the spiritual value of memory.  As she was taking leave of her sons, Augustine and Navigius, shortly before her death, Saint Monica said: “One thing only I ask of you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord, wherever you may be” (Saint Augustine, Confessions, IX, 11, 27).  Here the mystery of death is linked to prayer for the dead, which the Church has practised from her earliest beginnings as one of her fundamental duties.

In the light of the word of God, then, we can briefly reflect on two truths that illuminate our prayer for the deceased: hope in the resurrection and the communion of saints.

The account of Judas Maccabeus that we heard in the first reading (2 Macc 12:43-46) helps us reflect on the resurrection.  After some of his companions, who had been guilty of idolatry, fell in battle, Judas entrusted them to God’s mercy and arranged for a sin offering to be made on their behalf, so that they might be absolved of their sin.  This action rests on the certainty that the communion we experience with one another on earth, despite its limitations and failings, does not come to an end when it is placed in God’s hands.  The testimony of the Maccabees thus anticipates what is found in fulfilment in the Christian liturgy.  For our remembrance of our departed brothers and sisters at the altar of the Lord is founded on the promise that our life, in Christ, is not lost, because it has been redeemed.

Judas’s action is first and foremost an act of faith, because he offered his sacrifice “in the firm hope that those who had died would rise again” (v. 44).  In the light of Jesus, who is himself the author of the resurrection, we too pray for our departed in virtue of the great hope bestowed upon us in the Paschal Mystery.  For, as Scripture emphasises, if there were no resurrection, it would be futile to pray for the dead (cf. v. 44).  The Apostle Paul likewise issues this earnest declaration: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain” (1 Cor 15:13-14).

Dear friends, to pray for the repose of the dead is to celebrate life — firstly the risen life of Christ the Lord, and then, by his grace, our own life, which rises again in him.  The Eucharistic sacrifice is the memorial of his passover, through which he saved us by giving himself for us.  Let us not, therefore, allow the remembrance of the dead to become mere nostalgia.  In faith, let us contemplate the mystery of death without fear, because the Lord is alive, awaits us and has already prepared a place for us in his Father’s house (cf. Jn 14:2-3).

The Church celebrates this act of entrustment and hope within the communion of saints.  When we pray for the dead, we do so not only for them, but also with them, drawn into a reciprocity that the Holy Spirit brings to life in our hearts.  The Church is the mystery of communion between Christ, the head, and us, his members: from him we receive life.  This communion unites the blessed spirits who already contemplate the face of God with all those who, in heaven or on earth, are journeying toward that radiant goal.

Dear friends, in Christ, death does not dissolve our bonds. Rather, it transfigures them into a new dimension, which can be understood only in the mystery of his love, given to the very end on the cross and poured out after his paschal victory.  By welcoming the charity of the risen Lord in the holy Eucharist, let us therefore preserve and nurture this communion throughout our journey, so that when our own hour comes, we too may receive the prayers of our brothers and sisters still on pilgrimage and rejoice with all the saints in the joy of our heavenly homeland.

05.11.26

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

The social dimension is an integral part not only of human nature, but also of our faith in Christ Jesus, as the precious legacy we receive from the Incarnation of the Son of God. The Constitution Gaudium et Spes (GS) recalls this in Chapters III and IV of Part II, dedicated to economic and social life and to the life of the political community. In these areas too, the Christian faith offers criteria for discernment.

The Council Fathers highlight, first of all, the threat to world peace deriving from the imbalances linked to an economic development that is neither equitable nor respectful of creation (cf. GS, 63). This is a far-sighted vision, which was unfortunately borne out towards the end of the last century and which we see even more clearly today. To correct this course, the Document warns, technical progress alone is not enough: “many reforms in the socioeconomic realm and a change of mentality and attitude are required of all” (ibid.).

Therefore, Gaudium et Spes summarises the Christian vision of economic development, which must always be at the service of humankind and under human control (cf. GS, 64–65). The concept of integral development is already clearly evident here, a concept which Saint Paul VI would later place at the heart of his Encyclical Populorum Progressio (1967). More relevant than ever are the appeals to commit to eliminating discrimination against the most vulnerable social groups and migrants (cf. GS, 66).

The heart of the economy is work. Through it, one develops as a person, provides for family needs, expresses one’s own talent, participates in social life and builds a better world by collaborating in God’s creative work. Work must never be distorted to the detriment of people, the common good or creation. The real challenge is to offer everyone opportunities to make the most of their abilities: unemployment, exploitation and working conditions that endanger health and life itself are unacceptable (cf. GS, 67). Workers have the right and the duty to participate in decisions affecting their work, including through trade unions, resolving conflicts through dialogue and non-violent action (cf. GS, 68).

In this context, the Council recalls one of the fundamental principles of social teaching, namely the universal destination of earthly goods (cf. GS, 69) and applies it to the financial sphere, stating that “whoever makes decisions concerning these investments and the planning of the economy – whether they be individuals or groups of public authorities – are bound … to recognise their serious obligation of watching, on the one hand, that provision be made for the necessities required for a decent life both of individuals and of the whole community and, on the other, of looking out for the future and of establishing a right balance between the needs of present-day consumption, both individual and collective, and the demands of investing for the generation to come” (GS, 70).

Gaudium et Spes then goes on to discuss the political community, noting several positive developments in the contemporary era, above all the fact that “the present keener sense of human dignity has given rise in many parts of the world to attempts to bring about a politico-juridical order which will give better protection to the rights of the person in public life” (GS, 73).

The political community exists for the sake of the common good, which consists of “the sum of those conditions of the social life whereby men, families and associations more adequately and readily may attain their own perfection” (GS, 74). The exercise of political authority must always be directed towards the common good, which must be structured and operate according to local and historical circumstances, but always with the good of the entire human family at heart (cf. ibid.).

Gaudium et Spes reiterates that “the Church and the political community in their own fields are autonomous and independent from each other. Yet both, under different titles, are devoted to the personal and social vocation of the same men. The more that both foster sounder cooperation between themselves with due consideration for the circumstances of time and place, the more effective will their service be exercised for the good of all” (GS, 76).

Dear friends, engaging in economic and political life in accordance with these criteria is a way of building peace. As Pope Francis recalled, “war is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil” (Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti, 261). On the contrary, politics that tends to the wounds of peoples and of those who suffer injustice offers grounds for hope for the future of humanity.

For this reason, I encourage young people to follow the example of those men and women who have borne faithful witness in these fields. And I renew my call to Christian communities to revive formation in the social doctrine of the Church.

I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Ireland, Denmark, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Nigeria, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States of America.  In a particular way, I welcome the members of the National Conference of Vocation Directors for England and Wales.  Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God bless you!

04.11.26

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

The Solemnity of All Saints, which we celebrate today, invites us to share in the joy of that countless family of men and women who, following the Lord Jesus, have made their lives a gift to God and to their neighbours. Along their different paths to holiness, they have longed for “the ocean of infinite love,” to use a beautiful expression of Pope Benedict XVI (Spe Salvi, 12).

The Liturgy of the Word describes this family as “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev 7:9). Today, in fact, we celebrate all the saints: those whom the Church has recognised as such as well as the countless others who have not been formally recognised but are known to God. As today’s Gospel reminds us (Mt 5:1-12), they are poor in spirit, yet rich in God’s love. Their faces are streaked with tears, yet they find consolation in prayer. They are meek in the face of violence and rewarded by the Father. They hunger for justice, yet are filled in the depths of their consciences. They are ready to forgive and embraced by mercy. They are disarmed in heart, yet protected by God. They are peacemakers, called by name by God. They are persecuted and insulted, yet strong in faith and charity.

It is indeed true that it is impossible to count this multitude of brothers and sisters, and not just in numerical terms. Holiness, in fact, cannot be reduced to any calculation, for such is the good that all the saints have spread around them in the world. As we admire them, we ask ourselves: what have these people, with God’s grace, brought forth? Essentially, actions and choices of love that transcend the calculations of greed and the arrogance of evil, which at times seems to prevail. The saints are the most beautiful and powerful sign of the Kingdom of God that is coming — or rather, as Jesus teaches us, is already among us (cf. Lk 17:20-21). Moreover, this blessed multitude embraces people from the most diverse backgrounds, cultures and walks of life.  Holiness is not a privilege reserved for a few, but a universal vocation that speaks to each of us where we live. This is the hope-filled message of today’s feast: God sees the good that we do not see, knows stories that we do not know and reaches hearts to which we have no access.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, blessed because she believed the word of the Lord, accompany us along the path to holiness, so that we may never grow weary of fostering peace, both in the most important situations and in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Yesterday, in Savannah, Georgia, in the United States of America, Pedro de Corpa and four companions, religious of the Order of Friars Minor, who were killed in odium fidei in 1597, were beatified. Originally from Spain, they responded generously to the Lord's call to evangelize the peoples of the Americas, even to the point of giving their lives. Let us invoke the intercession of these martyrs for all missionaries of the Gospel.

In recent days, a humanitarian operation has been carried out to assist the civilian population in the city of Oleshky. I hope that the cooperation between the parties, which made this necessary humanitarian act possible, will strengthen the desire for dialogue and lead to new concrete peace initiatives.  Let us entrust to Mary, Queen of Peace and of All Saints, all those throughout the world who are suffering because of war.

From yesterday until November 13, the Youth Olympic Games are taking place in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, for athletes aged 15 to 18. This is the first Olympic event to be held on the African continent. In addition to the competitions, these Games include educational and cultural gatherings aimed at promoting Olympic values and fostering understanding among young people from all over the world. Once again, we see a sign of hope coming from the world of sport! I warmly greet and bless all the participants.

From November 8 to 15, the Mission with the Poor, promoted by the Friars Minor, will take place in Rome. I congratulate the sons of Saint Francis who, through this initiative, are placing the poor at the centre, as the Lord Jesus did and as Saint Francis of Assisi did. I also thank the civil authorities and law enforcement agencies for their cooperation.

And now I greet all of you, Romans and pilgrims from various countries!

I am pleased to welcome the Syro-Malabar faithful together with their Pastors.  Dear friends, together with you I give thanks to the Lord for the growth of your communities throughout Europe.

I greet the “Capiteo” group from Borbiago di Mira, in the Province of Venice, as well as the participants in the “Race of the Saints,” which the Don Bosco Missions have once again organised in Rome this year to promote sport as an educational experience.

Tomorrow afternoon, on the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, I will celebrate Mass at the Verano Cemetery. During these days, let us feel united in the Communion of Saints with the immense family of our brothers and sisters who have gone before us on our earthly pilgrimage, and let us pray for the departed, especially those whom no one remembers.

Thank you all, and have a happy feast day!

01.11.26

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

The Second Vatican Council could not fail to address the subject of culture and its relationship with the Christian faith. It does so in the second chapter of the second part of the Constitution Gaudium et Spes (GS).

The Catholic Church has always been concerned with accompanying the preaching of the Gospel with the establishment of schools of every kind, aimed at advancing the human, cultural and spiritual formation of men and women across the five continents. Medieval universities, as we know, were born from the heart of the Church, making a decisive contribution to the development of Western civilization. At the same time, the progress of culture and knowledge raises ever new and deeper questions, prompting believers to give an account of their faith (cf. 1 Pet 3:15–17). Finally, as expressions of the spiritual dimension of the human being, the various manifestations of culture contribute to opening minds to the perennial questions on the meaning of the world and of human existence, thus preparing people to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The relationship between faith and culture finds its primary foundation in the Incarnation: if the divine Word became flesh and came to dwell among us (cf. Jn 1:14), then faith too is an incarnate reality, interwoven with the culture in which it is immersed. It is also required to become culture, that is, to reach the person in their living environment, made up of human words, traditions, religious meaning, art and poetry, thought and science. As Saint John Paul II loved to repeat, “a faith that does not become culture is a faith not fully accepted, not entirely thought out, not faithfully lived”. [1]

Faith can be embodied in all cultures, because it does not identify itself with any of them in a specific one. It dwells within them, shaping them from within according to the “form” of Jesus Christ; that is, through charity, service and the filial recognition of God’s fatherhood. In this way, the Church draws from the various cultures all that is good, beautiful and true, in order to embody and transmit the message of the Gospel. At the same time, “the Church, sent to all peoples of every time and place, is not bound exclusively and indissolubly to any race or nation, any particular way of life or any customary way of life recent or ancient. Faithful to her own tradition and at the same time conscious of her universal mission, she can enter into communion with the various civilizations, to their enrichment and the enrichment of the Church herself” (GS, 58).

The Church promotes culture because it is a good in itself, a service to the human being and to the fulfilment of her vocation on earth. For this reason, Gaudium et Spes exhorts the international community to ensure that everyone has access to fundamental cultural goods, by overcoming illiteracy and the lack of education. All those who are capable of accessing higher education – the Council boldly states – must be placed in a position to do so in practice. Furthermore, “it will belong to all to acknowledge and favour the proper and necessary participation of women in the cultural life” (GS, 60).

In addition, Gaudium et Spes upholds the need to direct teaching towards a certain unity of knowledge, even though changing living conditions may make this more difficult (cf. GS, 61). Christians are the first who must strive to bring about this unity of wisdom, first and foremost within themselves. Although they have received from Revelation the answers to the great questions of existence, they are not thereby exempt from patient intellectual and cultural formation; on the contrary, their human and scientific knowledge must go hand in hand with the substance of their faith, which must be continually deepened with age and in accordance with their level of study. The Council addresses a particular appeal to theologians: “Let those who teach theology … strive to collaborate with men versed in the other sciences through a sharing of their resources and points of view. Theological inquiry should pursue a profound understanding of revealed truth; at the same time it should not neglect close contact with its own time that it may be able to help these men skilled in various disciplines to attain to a better understanding of the faith” (GS, 62).

Brothers and sisters, the Constitution Gaudium et Spes reminds us not to live the faith in a spirit of opposition or hostility towards the world, culture and its human expressions, but rather exhorts us as follows: “May the faithful, therefore, live in very close union with the other men of their time and may they strive to understand perfectly their way of thinking and judging, as expressed in their culture” (GS, 62). Achieving a mature and responsible synthesis between faith and culture is, in fact, a necessary condition for persevering in the Christian vocation, as well as an essential requirement for bearing witness to the faith before the world and communicating it to others in a credible manner.

[1] St. John Paul II, Address to participants in the Congress of the Ecclesial Movement of Cultural Commitment (MEIC), 16 January 1982.

I extend a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Ghana, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America.  In particular, I greet the members of the Youth Group from the Diocese of Samoa-Pago Pago on their pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi.  Upon each of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God bless you all!

28.10.26

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

In today’s Gospel, the Lord once again leads us to the heart of our faith (cf. Mt 22:34–40). A teacher of the Law, seeking to test Jesus, asks him, “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (v. 36). The Teacher responds by quoting a passage from Deuteronomy: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (v.37; cf. Deut 6:5). Christ places love at the very centre of our relationship with God. Indeed, it is not enough to know that God exists, that he is the only God, or that he is the Almighty. The Lord seeks a personal relationship with us: the one true God wants to become our God.

In our encounter with him, the commandment of love is neither an obligation nor an imposition. Indeed, one cannot love “on command.” Love for God is the very essence of human desire, which finds its fulfillment in communion with him. For this reason, our love can be authentic only when it is a response to his love, which always precedes us. From this arises the need for a total commitment that involves the whole person: heart, soul and mind.

To the first commandment, the Lord adds a second: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Mt 22:39). This rule of life springs from the same source; that is why Jesus says that it is similar to the first. Thanks to our close relationship with God, we are able to look at ourselves and our neighbors through the eyes of Christ, from his perspective. In this way, selfishness is overcome and even love for oneself becomes charity: our existence turns toward the other and becomes a gift for those around us.

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus understood this well: “Love alone,” she wrote, makes “the Church’s members act, and if Love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel” (cf. Complete Works, Manuscript B, 3v°, Rome 1997, 223). Indeed, without love, our faith would be deprived of its essence, our good works would be reduced to mere moralism, and our hope would be in vain.

Dear friends, we cannot truly love God unless this love overflows into love for our brothers and sisters. And we cannot truly love our neighbour except as children of the same Father who loved us first in his Son, Jesus.

Let us ask the Lord for the grace of a new heart, capable of embracing and living out the greatest of all commandments. May the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for us, in whose Immaculate Heart there is nothing but love.

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am following with concern the grave humanitarian situation in Yemen, particularly in the city of Taiz, where the population is suffering from a lack of food, water and medical care. I make a heartfelt appeal for hostilities to cease and for the Yemeni people and all the peoples of the region to be guaranteed the right to live in peace.

My prayers go out to all those who were injured or lost their lives last Friday in the terrorist attack on worshippers at the Orthodox Church of Saint George in Hamoud, Jordan. I express my closeness to the community and the entire country, which is known for its peaceful coexistence and respect between different religions.

Let us continue to pray together for peace. The day after tomorrow, on 27 October, let us join in spirit with the heads of churches and religious leaders who will gather in Assisi to mark the 40th anniversary of the meeting convened by Saint John Paul II. Never before has it been so clear that wars, as well as sowing death and destruction, impoverish and harm the world. May the Lord inspire choices of dialogue and peace!

I greet you all, dear faithful of Rome and pilgrims from various countries!

I welcome the members of the Centro Académico Romano Fundación from Spain; the group from Saint Ciaran’s College in Ballygawley, Ireland; and the group from the “Saint John Paul II” schools of the Diocese of Opole, Poland.

I am pleased to welcome the heads of protocol from a number of Italian ministries and government departments.

I greet the members of the “Solidarietà in Buone Mani” Association from Castiglion Fiorentino, and the group of friends from Concorezzo who have come on a pilgrimage to mark their 70th birthdays.

I wish you all a happy Sunday.

25.10.26

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

The first think I would like to say is thank you!. Thank you for the support of your prayers. Thanks be to God for His generosity. Let us all renew our trust in God’s goodness and mercy.

The pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes (GS) of the Second Vatican Council, having illustrated in the first part the dignity of the person and his or her vocation in the world, goes on to consider, in the second part, “in the light of the Gospel and of human experience”, some of the most pressing contemporary issues (cf. GS, 46). It focuses primarily on marriage and the family, in the conviction that “the well-being of the individual and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family” (GS, 47).

To this end, it does not merely reaffirm their values and aims, but proposes a renewed conception of marriage as an “intimate partnership of married life and love” (GS, 48). By incorporating the legal dimension of marriage as a contract, the foundation of this union is recognized in the “conjugal covenant”, understood as the “human act whereby spouses mutually bestow and accept each another” (ibid.). The mutual self-giving of man and woman, such that ‘they are no longer two but one flesh’ (Mt 19:6), underlies the requirement for “total fidelity” and the “unbreakable oneness” of the spouses, finding vivid expression in the procreation and upbringing of children (cf. GS, 48). As a reflection of the Divine Trinity, conjugal and parental love, through the Sacrament of Marriage, is “governed and enriched by Christ’s redeeming power”, so that spouses may love one another “just as He loved the Church and handed Himself over on her behalf” (ibid.).

Having shed light on the reality of marriage in the light of Christ’s love, which is the truth of both human and divine love, Gaudium et Spes turns its attention to conjugal love and marital fruitfulness. Not limited to erotic attraction, which it nonetheless encompasses, conjugal love involves the entire will of the spouses, enlivening the affections of their hearts and expressing itself through sentiments and gestures of tenderness (cf. GS, 49). Embracing the good of the whole person of both man and woman, who are equal in dignity, this love pervades the entire life of the spouses, finding expression in acts proper exclusively to marriage (cf. ibid.). Whilst signifying integral love from person to person, the unique intimacy between the spouses fosters their mutual self-giving and enriches their shared joy (cf. ibid.).

Furthermore, the fruitfulness of conjugal love is expressed in the procreation of children, “the supreme gift of marriage” (GS, 50). By transmitting and educating human life, which must never be rejected, spouses become “cooperators with the love of God the Creator, and are, so to speak, the interpreters of that love” (ibid.). Called to this human and Christian responsibility, they are bound to allow themselves to be guided by a sound judgement regarding their own good and that of their children, whether already born or yet to be born. Such a judgement, which, in the final analysis, the spouses themselves must form before God, requires that their conscience conform to divine law, as interpreted by the Magisterium of the Church in the light of the Gospel (cf. ibid.).

The emphasis on loving communion and procreative fruitfulness within marriage leads the Council to rule out the possibility of there being “a true contradiction … between the divine laws pertaining to the transmission of life, and those pertaining to authentic conjugal love” (GS, 51) and to affirm, instead, that “when there is question of harmonizing conjugal love with the responsible transmission of life”, one must “preserve the full sense of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love” (ibid.). From this it follows both that “from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care”, renouncing “abortion and infanticide”; and that “the acts themselves which are proper to conjugal love and which are exercised in accord with genuine human dignity must be honoured with great reverence” (ibid.).

The teaching of Gaudium et Spes on the conjugal and family community thus goes on to highlight the social function of the family, defined as “a school of deeper humanity” and “the foundation of society” (GS, 52), calling upon all those with social responsibilities, especially in the political and cultural spheres, to fulfil their duty to “work efficiently for the welfare of marriage and the family” (ibid.).

Dear friends, this task is more urgent than ever before. The Church is well aware of this, as shown by the pastoral concern of the Popes who have succeeded one another since the last Council, right up to the two Synodal Assemblies convened by Pope Francis, which were addressed again in recent days by the Heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences. May the Holy Family of Nazareth enlighten us on our journey and protect families throughout the world.

I extend a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God bless you all!

21.10.26

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

The Gospel proclaimed in today’s liturgy (Mt 22:15-21) presents us with one of Jesus’ best-known sayings: “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (cf. v. 21).  For this reason, it is important to consider these words in the context in which they were originally spoken.

The evangelist Matthew describes a situation of hostility towards Jesus: the Pharisees gather together to see how they might catch him in his words (cf. v. 15).  They decide to send some people to question him on a controversial matter: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” (v. 17).  The Teacher’s response is astute, for it allows him to avoid the trap and exposes the hypocrisy of those who seek to put him to the test.  He asks them to show him the coin used to pay the tax, that is, a denarius.  They hand it to him, and Jesus asks: “Whose head is this, and whose title?”  They reply: “The emperor’s.”  He then declares: “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (vv. 17-21).

In Jesus, we contemplate a God who is not afraid of history but comes instead to dwell within it.  His Kingdom does not abolish human roles and responsibilities.  It does, however, call us to live without compromise, free from selfish ambitions and unjust motives, seeking above all the Kingdom of God and his righteousness (cf. Mt 6:33).  In this regard, it is striking that those same people praise Jesus, even though their intentions are far from good: “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality” (v. 16).

Dear friends, this is precisely what it means to “give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s”: to be truthful, free from servile fear or hypocrisy, free to do good.  Let us pray to the Lord to help us live in this way.  And let us entrust ourselves to the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today we celebrate the 100th World Mission Day.  Let us think of how much missionary history has unfolded over these one hundred years!  Let us pray that the Church may always remain faithful to the mandate of the Risen Lord: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15).

I would like to thank all those who have prayed for me in recent days.  I have truly sensed your support.  Thank you!

I wish to express my particular gratitude to the doctors, nurses and all the staff of the Gemelli Hospital.

This experience has made me feel particularly close to all those who are living with illness or infirmity.

Now that I have overcome this delicate phase, as you know, I will gradually resume my activities, always with God’s help and your prayers.

Thank you once again. Thank you all! Have a good Sunday!

18.10.26

I will now read the homily prepared by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.

“The joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the Church” (Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, 19 March 2016, 1).  With these words, ten years ago, Pope Francis began his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia.

Today, as we celebrate the Eucharist, we offer to the Lord the fruits of the work we have carried out on this document, and we seek to take its riches to heart and put its pastoral guidance into practice.

In this regard, today’s liturgy offers us several points for reflection.  In the first reading, we heard Saint Paul’s “hymn to love” (cf. 1 Cor 12:31–13:13). In Chapter 4 of the Apostolic Exhortation, this same text provides the basis of a rich meditation on the virtues of Christian marriage, a union that is “affective… spiritual and sacrificial” (no. 120), and an icon of God’s love (cf. no. 121).  Through living out these values, and with the help of grace, spouses grow together day by day in the image of the Trinity.  Both spouses mature in their own distinctive ways, and at the same time grow to resemble one another through the “stable commitment to share and shape together the whole of life” (no. 123).  Thus, the true joy of love is a gradual deepening of union, in which each person’s uniqueness blossoms through the gift of self and the presence of the other.

Moreover, the Apostle was addressing a community rich in gifts and charisms (cf. 1 Cor 12:4-11), yet one that needed to mature in love.  He reminded the Corinthians that persons without love, despite all the talents they may have received, are like “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (13:1), like a voice without love, unable to speak to the heart, cut off from others, distant, cold and impenetrable.

We were not made to live that way.  The responsorial Psalm also calls this to mind by calling us the “people” and “flock” of a God whose “steadfast love endures for ever” and whose faithfulness extends “to all generations” (Ps 100:5). He is a Lord who loves without holding back, who never ceases to seek us, place his trust in us and renew his friendship with us.

This is the love that Amoris Laetitia invites us to make the foundation of our families.  This is the true love that, in a particular way, we are urged to teach to young people preparing for marriage, instructing them about “the importance of the virtues,” among which a special place is given to chastity, which is “invaluable for the genuine growth of love between persons” (no. 206). Marriage preparation programs conscientiously developed for this purpose in parishes and pastoral areas are commendable.  Yet such courses alone are insufficient, for they must be preceded and supported by an education in love that accompanies a person’s growth from childhood.  In this regard, Pope Francis observed that “learning to love someone does not happen automatically, nor can it be taught in a workshop just prior to the celebration of marriage” (no. 208).  He explained: “For every couple, marriage preparation begins at birth,” (ibid.) and everything a young person experiences within the family should help to make that person capable of “a full and definitive commitment” (ibid.).

In this way, love lived within the family — with its moments of struggle, mistakes and failures, yet also with the marvel of its unpredictable, everyday life — becomes the first school of human affection, the first precious and irreplaceable apprenticeship in the “joy of love.”  For this reason, we should recognise and support the efforts of so many families who live out their vocation and mission day by day, without fanfare, yet at times with heroic fidelity.  They offer a generous and compelling witness to the words of Jesus we heard in the Gospel: “you did not choose me but I chose you.  And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last” (Jn 15:16). Through the witness of parents, children, grandparents, young people and the elderly, the Gospel’s message of truth and the fullness of life reaches the world.

The Evangelist John handed down to us the simple and clear instruction that Jesus spoke at the end of his earthly life: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12).  Let us put it into practice, so that we may grow as a Church that is a “family of families” (Amoris Laetitia, no. 87), in an atmosphere of reciprocal care that will benefit us all. Thus, young couples will feel encouraged as they begin their married life; parents will find support as they face the demanding challenges of raising their children and managing family life; and older people will be recognized and valued in their role as witnesses to wisdom and virtue, even as their physical strength wanes.  Those who are more vulnerable, or who are experiencing difficult circumstances and moments of crisis, will also find support and encouragement, surrounded by affection and shielded from judgment and prejudice.  Let us remember that “as wounded as the family may be, it can always grow beginning with love” (XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Relatio Finalis, 10).

The values of openness to life and respect for life, from conception to natural death, are also rooted in this charity, which is fundamental to our existence and to our life together as human beings.  The family is the foremost guardian of these values, a beacon for the good of humanity.  In this regard, Pope Francis stressed that “no union that is temporary or closed to the transmission of life can ensure the future of society” (Amoris Laetitia, 52).  The world has no future without strong families open to the gift of children and attentive to their education and growth.

I would like to recall another important invitation from Jesus, in the readings we have heard, that we ask the Father “in my name” (Jn 15:16).  These words remind us that the family is a privileged place of prayer.  Sadly, in many parts of the world today, the practice of praying together at home — before meals, at the beginning and end of the day, or on special occasions — has fallen away. Amoris Laetitia reminds us that “emphasis should also be given to the importance of family spirituality, prayer and participation in the Sunday Eucharist” (no. 223).  It likewise recommends that families gather “regularly to promote growth in their spiritual life and solidarity in the concrete demands of life” (ibid.).  Common prayer and the Sacraments play a vital role in family life because they open hearts to the action of God, enabling families to reach together places that they could never reach on their own.  Indeed, they are a solid nourishment and a healing medicine.  I therefore strongly urge everyone to rediscover and encourage these practices.

Dear brothers and sisters, I myself have the honour of presiding over this celebration by special mandate of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, in order to manifest publicly the ecclesiastical communion he has granted to His Beatitude Paul III Nona, Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, who is participating in this Eucharist.

A Patriarch’s communion with the Successor of Peter recalls an ancient practice that affirmed the unity in faith and charity between a patriarchal Church and the See of Rome — and, at that time, among the Churches themselves. This is, therefore not a mere formality, but a living reality that draws its very reason from Eucharistic communion, the source and summit of the Church’s unity in Christ.

Your Beatitude, your presence helps us better understand our identity as the Church, which is a communion in Christ the Lord of the Churches of various rites and traditions, in a unity that is expressed tangibly with the Successor of Peter.  We assure you of the affection and prayers of the entire Catholic Church for the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care, who have long been tested but remain steadfast and often heroic in bearing witness to their faith in Jesus amid many adversities.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us entrust all families and the whole Church to the Holy Family of Nazareth, taking up once more the prayer with which Pope Francis concluded Amoris Laetitia (no. 325):

Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic churches…

May families never again experience violence, rejection and division; may all who have been hurt or scandalised find ready comfort and healing… 

make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God’s plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph,

Graciously hear our prayer.  Amen.

14.10.26

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of the wedding feast prepared by a king for his son (cf. Mt 22:1–14).

A son’s wedding is a special occasion for any family, and this happy father wants to share his joy with everyone.  He prepares a banquet and invites many people.  Saint Thomas Aquinas says that goodness, by its very nature, tends to spread: “Bonum dicitur diffusivum sui” (Summa Theologiae, I, q. 5, a. 4, ad 2).  The image in the narrative expresses this idea in the context of our lived experience.  When something good happens, it kindles a light that leads us to share our happiness with others.

In response to such a gracious invitation, however, instead of coming to the feast, the guests turn away and prefer to continue going about their business.  Some are annoyed, insult the king’s messengers and even kill them.  Unfortunately, this can happen to us, too, for the good we offer to do is not always understood, recognized or appreciated.  Indeed, at times, it is willfully misinterpreted and rejected.  Yet this must not discourage us.  When faced with rejection, the king does not call off the wedding or cancel the celebrations.  On the contrary, he extends his invitation to an even greater number of people, sending his servants out into the streets to call them so that the bride and groom’s joy may be a gift for all.

At this point, we can ask ourselves whom the main characters in this story represent.  Saint Jerome identifies the king as the Heavenly Father, the bridegroom as Jesus, and the bride as the Church (cf. Commentary on Matthew, Book III, ch. 22).  We are among the main characters as well, chosen by the Lord to share our lives with him and to be bearers of life with him.  The wedding feast is ours, and the banquet hall is our churches and homes, the places where we live and where the King’s Son, Jesus Christ, continues to declare his love for us and await our “yes.”  We encounter him there, and are clothed like a bride in the white garment of Baptism and adorned with the jewels of good works, which draw us closer to God and to one another.

The joy we proclaim, therefore, is not artificial; it is profound, concrete and real.  It is as beautiful as the faces of the people we meet.  It is as genuine as the work, the smiles, the tears, the handshakes, and the acts of kindness that fill our days.  It is a gift of God for the salvation of the world.

Therefore, let us ask Mary, the Mother of the Lord, to help us grow in this joy.  Even when it is not understood, let us proclaim this joy always and everywhere, with generosity, courage and faith.

Yesterday, in Mantua, Sister Maria Ignazia Isacchi, the foundress of the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was beatified.  Between the end of 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century, she devoted herself with courageous charity to the needy and the disadvantaged.  May her example rekindle in all of us the desire to be witnesses in the world of the love of the Gospel toward everyone.

The war in tormented Ukraine continues to cause suffering far beyond its borders, especially in the poorest countries, where so many people depend on grain imports.  I make a heartfelt appeal to the parties to the conflict to allow for the safe transport of grain through the Black Sea.  The daily bread of millions of people cannot be held hostage by the war.

Today in Italy marks the Day for Victims of Workplace Accidents. I extend my greetings to the National Association of Workers with Work-Related Injuries and Disabilities and encourage efforts toward prevention.

I extend a warm welcome to all of you, Romans and pilgrims alike!

I greet the members of the Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros in Rome and all those who took part in the procession with the venerated Icon of the Crucified Christ.  Thank you for your prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru.

I joyfully welcome the faithful of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo in Ukraine, accompanied by their Bishop; the Asociación de fieles Hakuna; the las Antiguas Alumnas Jesús Maria España; the choir and choral school of the Cathedral of Haarlem in the Netherlands; and the faithful from Vienna.

I extend my greetings to the young people of the Chiaravalle vicariate in the Diocese of Senigallia; the members of the Belluno provincial chapter of AIDO; the Ars Enotria group from Cosenza and the women’s soccer team from the Biella Hospital.

Dear friends, during some recent medical examinations, the doctors found a small, localized nodule in my lung.  It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized.  The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it.  The operation is already scheduled to take place in the coming days.  I thank you for your spiritual closeness and entrust myself to your prayers.

Thank you, and happy Sunday!

11.10.26

Brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Resuming our reflection on the Conciliar Constitution Gaudium et Spes (GS), today we will consider the fourth chapter of the first part, dedicated to the Church’s mission in the contemporary world.

First of all, the Council recalls that the Church is not “above” or “beside” the world, but is, as it were, grafted into it. “Mundus reconciliatus Ecclesia”, wrote Saint Augustine (Sermon 96): the Church is the world already reconciled with God; we are pilgrims on earth and share in this world’s fragility and beauty (cf. GS, 40).

Just as the Son of God was incarnated to give life to the world and to reconcile it with the Father, so the Church dwells in the world as a sign of the incarnation of God, in order to manifest His plan to make us all His children in one great human family. Therefore, the Church journeys through history in the midst of peoples and cultures, and “this involvement in people’s lives helps the Church understand ever more clearly that her mission has a historical scope and entails a responsibility for the way in which social relations are built” (Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 19).

The first mission of the Church is to help people be attentive to the profound questions of life: those concerning our origin and our destiny, as well as those concerning the meaning of love and suffering (cf. GS, 41). The logic of profit at all costs and the manipulation of information risk exerting undue pressure on people to conform to a lifestyle centred on the consumption of material goods, but our hearts are made to look upwards.

The Council Fathers remind us that the Church’s mission is fulfilled also in contributing to the construction of the earthly city. However, her methods and aims are not primarily of a political order; rather, they consist in bearing witness to faith and charity, together with commitment for justice, peace, and fraternity. By worshipping Christ, the Righteous One who died for the unrighteous, the believer cannot accept the oppression of the weak and the poor, nor the unjust structures that perpetuate conditions of dependence and injustice. The social doctrine of the Church guides the actions of Christians, who collaborate with all people of good will in promoting the common good. The Church, therefore, “has no fiercer desire than that in pursuit of the welfare of all she may be able to develop herself freely under any kind of government which grants recognition to the basic rights of person and family, to the demands of the common good” (GS, 42).

To fulfil the Gospel mission effectively, it is necessary for every baptised person to commit to cooperating with the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that their faith may be living and expressed in consistent behaviour. Indeed, as the Council Fathers reiterate, the discrepancy between professed faith and daily life “deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age” (GS, 43).

Gaudium et Spes reserves special mention (cf. ibid.) for the mission of the lay faithful who, by virtue of their Baptism, are called to enliven the world with the Christian spirit and the vision of the Gospel. The principal settings for this activity, which may well be described as priestly, are undoubtedly the family and the workplace, but it extends to every sphere of life.

Finally, the Church is always attentive to what is taking place and developing in society (cf. GS, 44). It is the task of the whole People of God, especially pastors and theologians, to discern what in the cultures of our time is worthy of consideration, always taking the Word of God and the Tradition of the Church as the supreme criteria for discernment. This requires a balanced mind, free from cultural trends, capable of viewing the world in a positive light whilst remaining steadfast in preserving and presenting the Gospel message in its entirety. Indeed, “it is certainly not by watering down the content or softening the demands that Christianity can be made attractive” (Address to the Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section on Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World, 28 May 2026).

Dear friends, as she journeys through history, “the Church has a single intention: that God’s kingdom may come, and that the salvation of the whole human race may come to pass” (GS, 45). She strives towards this end above all through personal holiness and fraternal love. Saint Paul VI wrote: “Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man. It risks being vain and sterile” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, 76). Let us therefore be open to the action of the Holy Spirit, that He may help us to live in holiness and charity, so that the world may believe and hope.

I extend a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Uganda, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Canada and the United States of America. Upon each of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!

07.10.26

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

The Gospel parable proclaimed in this Sunday’s Liturgy speaks of Jesus’ life and sheds light on the meaning of his mission (cf. Mt 21:33-43).  He is the Son of God sent into the world, yet he is rejected by the very people who should have welcomed him with open arms.  The One who came to bring salvation is condemned; the One who wishes to give life is put to death.  While this leads us to reflect on the many cruelties that plague the world and the history of peoples, Christ’s teaching reveals the ever-greater mercy of his Father.

Indeed, the violent rejection does not thwart God’s will; in his infinite justice, he transforms evil into redemption: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Mt 21:42; cf. Ps 118:22).  Jesus himself recalls these words from the Psalm, which celebrates the marvelous work done by the Lord: it is precisely what was cast aside that becomes the foundation that sustains everything.  This is how the Almighty guides history, coming to our aid in all our falls: God never discards our lives!

According to the image used in the parable, the vineyard to be cultivated with justice is the Church, which we build up or damage through our choices.  In this regard, today — on the eighth centenary of his death — I wish to recall a labourer who worked with great fruitfulness in the Lord’s vineyard: Saint Francis of Assisi, whom Jesus himself asked to repair his Church.  Inspired by the Crucified One, Francis first and foremost built his own life upon the foundation of Christ, sharing in his poverty, joy and sufferings, even to the point of receiving the mystical sign of the stigmata.  A man of fervent prayer, full of charity toward all, he was an example to the first friars who shared his asceticism as an authentic condition for the reform of the Church.  Saint Francis repaired the Church by virtue of his faith in the Lord Jesus, healing the rifts of discord through the witness of fraternal love.

Dear friends, the charism of Saint Francis continues to bear fruit even today, after eight centuries.  This is attested to, not only by the great and vibrant Franciscan family but also by the many gifts that his spiritual legacy bestows upon the People of God.  As we celebrate the Franciscan Jubilee Year, therefore, let us perseveringly ask for the gift of peace and sincerely commit ourselves to building harmony among peoples.

May the intercession of Mary Most Holy, our Mother, always accompany us in this work.  To her we now turn, spiritually united with the faithful gathered at the Shrine of Pompeii to offer the Supplication to the Virgin of the Holy Rosary.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Last Sunday, in Lourdes, I invited everyone to pray the Rosary during this month of October, with the special intention that wars may cease and peace may be built.  Among the first to do so were the children, and they are continuing to do so: from 1 to 7 October, “Aid to the Church in Need” is promoting “A Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative for peace and unity in the world.  I wholeheartedly thank all the boys and girls who are joining in this prayer in so many parts of the world.  Let us all follow their example, invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary so that peoples may be freed from the scourge of war.  In particular, let us pray for the Holy Land and for the innocent victims of violence.

In the coming days, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, a meeting will take place in the Vatican for which I have convoked the Heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Presidents of the world’s Episcopal Conferences.  It will be a time of synodal discernment for identifying the steps to be taken in order to proclaim the Gospel today among families and the younger generations.  I entrust this task to your prayers and, above all, the families who, with God’s help, are a sign of hope and an inestimable treasure for the Church and for society.

I am pleased by the many initiatives celebrating the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi.  In particular, I recall those that took place in Assisi, attended by the highest authorities of the Italian State.  I also greet the amateur radio operators of Assisi and Foligno who spread Saint Francis’ message of peace.

Now, I extend my greetings to all of you who are present today in Saint Peter’s Square.

I welcome the participants in the International Week of Sacred Music, organized by the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music; as well as the faithful from Puente Alto in Santiago, Chile, and the teachers and students of the Gymnasium Sankt Bonaventura in Dillingen, Germany.

I greet the confirmandi from Pinerolo; the faithful from Fasana Polesine; the young people from Val Brembana who have walked the Via Francigena from Viterbo to Rome; the FIABA Association, which promotes campaigns to improve accessibility in public places; the “Mothers who give a smile” group from Taranto; and the “Students with Stars” association from Lurago d’Erba.

I cordially bless the faithful who, today, from this Square, will set out on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Revelation on the Via Laurentina, continuing the tradition begun by Pope Pius XII.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday.

04.10.26