Pope Leo General Audience 10.12.25

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! Welcome to you all!

The mystery of death has always raised profound questions in human beings. Indeed, it seems to be the most natural and at the same time most unnatural event that exists. It is natural, because every living being on earth dies. It is unnatural, because the desire for life and eternity that we all feel for ourselves and for the people we love makes us see death as a sentence, as a “contradiction”.

Many ancient peoples developed rites and customs linked to the cult of the dead, to accompany and to recall those who journeyed towards the supreme mystery. Today, however, we see a different trend. Death seems to be a sort of taboo, an event to keep at a distance; something to be spoken of in hushed tones, to avoid disturbing our sensibilities and our tranquillity. This is often why we avoid visiting cemeteries, where those who have gone before us rest as they await resurrection.

So what is death? Is it truly the last word on our lives? Only human beings ask themselves this question, because only they know they must die. But being aware of this does not save them from death; on the contrary, in a certain sense it “burdens” them compared to other living creatures. Animals suffer, of course, and they realize that death is near, but they do not know that death is part of their destiny. They do not question the meaning, purpose and outcome of life.

Considering this aspect, one might then think that we are paradoxical, unhappy creatures, not only because we die, but also because we are certain that this event will happen, even though we do not know how or when. We find ourselves aware and at the same time powerless. This is probably where the frequent repressions and existential flights from the question of death originate.

Saint Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori, in his famous work Apparecchio alla morte (Preparation for Death), reflects on the pedagogical value of death, emphasizing that it can be a great teacher of life. To know that it exists, and above all to reflect on it, teaches us to choose what we really want to make of our existence. Praying, in order to understand what is beneficial in view of the kingdom of heaven, and letting go of the superfluous that instead binds us to ephemeral things, is the secret to living authentically, in the awareness that our passage on earth prepares us for eternity.

Yet many current anthropological views promise immanent immortality, theorize the prolongation of earthly life through technology. This is the transhuman scenario, which is making its way into the horizon of the challenges of our time. Could death really be defeated by science? But then, could science itself guarantee us that a life without death is also a happy life?

The event of the Resurrection of Christ reveals to us that death is not opposed to life, but rather is a constitutive part of it, as the passage to eternal life. The Pasch of Jesus gives us a foretaste, in this time still full of suffering and trials, of the fullness of what will happen after death.

The Evangelist Luke seems to grasp this harbinger of light in the dark when, at the end of that afternoon when darkness had shrouded Calvary, he writes: “It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning” (Lk 23:54). This light, which anticipates Easter morning, already shines in the darkness of the sky, which still appears overcast and mute. The lights of the Sabbath, for the first and only time, herald the dawn of the day after the Sabbath: the new light of the Resurrection. Only this event is capable of illuminating the mystery of death to its full extent. In this light, and only in this, what our heart desires and hopes becomes true: that death is not the end, but the passage towards full light, towards a happy eternity.

The Risen One has gone before us in the great trial of death, emerging victorious thanks to the power of divine Love. Thus, he has prepared for us the place of eternal rest, the home where we are awaited; he has given us the fullness of life in which there are no longer any shadows and contradictions.

Thanks to Him, who died and rose again for love, with Saint Francis we can call death our “sister”. Awaiting it with the sure hope of the Resurrection preserves us from the fear of disappearing forever and prepares us for the joy of life without end.

I am deeply saddened by the news of the renewed conflict along the border between Thailand and Cambodia, which has claimed civilian lives and forced thousands of people to flee their homes. I express my closeness in prayer to these dear peoples, and I call on the parties to immediately cease fire and resume dialogue.

I extend a warm welcome this morning to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from England, Wales, Malta, Uganda, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States of America.  I pray that each of you, and your families, may experience a blessed Advent in preparation for the coming of the new born Jesus, Son of God and Saviour of the world.  God bless you all!

Lastly, I greet the young people, the sick and the newlyweds. Today we celebrate the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto. Dear young people, at the school of Mary you learn to love and to hope; dear sick people, may the Blessed Virgin be your companion and comfort in suffering; and you, dear newlyweds, entrust your conjugal journey to the Mother of Jesus.

My blessing to you all!

10.12.25

Pope Leo Angelus 08.12.25  

Pope Leo – December 2025

For Christians in areas of conflict

Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation and hope.

God of peace, who through the blood of Your Son has reconciled the world to Yourself, today we pray for Christians living amidst wars and violence.

Even surrounded by pain, may they never cease to feel the gentle kindness of your presence and the prayers of their brothers and sisters in faith.

For only through You, and strengthened by fraternal bonds, can they become the seeds of reconciliation, builders of hope in ways both small and great, capable of forgiving and moving forward, of bridging divides, and of seeking justice with mercy.

Lord Jesus, who called blessed those who work for peace, make us Your instruments of peace even where harmony seems impossible.

Holy Spirit, source of hope in the darkest times, sustain the faith of those who suffer and strengthen their hope. Do not let us fall into indifference, and make us builders of unity, like Jesus.

Amen

December 2025

Pope Francis Message for the 58th World Day of Peace 01.01.25

FAMINE

Pope Francis

Hunger

Hunger is an injustice that destroys men and women because they have nothing to eat, even if there is a lot food available in the world. Human exploitation; different forms of slavery; recently I saw a film shot inside a prison where migrants are locked up and tortured to turn them into slaves. This is still happening 70 years after the Declaration of Human Rights. Cultural colonization. This is exactly what the Devil wants, to destroy human dignity – and that is why the Devil is behind all forms of persecution.

01.06.18

Pope Leo Angelus 08.12.25

Dear brothers and sisters, happy feast day!

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We express our joy because the Father of Heaven wanted her to be “preserved immune from all stain of original sin” (Pius IX, Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, 8 December 1854), full of innocence and holiness in order to be able to entrust to her, for our salvation, “his only begotten Son … whom … the Father loves from his heart” .

The Lord has granted to Mary the extraordinary grace of a completely pure heart, in view of an even greater miracle: the coming of Christ the Savior into the world as man (cf. Lk 1:31-33).  The Virgin learned about this, with the wonder typical of the humble, from the greeting of the Angel: “Hail, full of grace: the Lord is with you” (v. 28) and with faith she responded with her “yes”: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38).

Commenting on these words, Saint Augustine says that “Mary believed, and what she believed was fulfilled in her” (Sermon 215, 4).  The gift of the fullness of grace, in the young woman of Nazareth, was able to bear fruit because she in her freedom welcomed it, embracing the plan of God.  The Lord always acts in this way: he gives us great gifts, but he leaves us free to accept them or not.  For this reason, Augustine adds: “We also believe, because that which came to be [in her] can also benefit us” (ibid.).  And so this feast, which makes us rejoice for the unsullied beauty of the Mother of God, also invites us to believe as she believed, giving our generous assent to the mission to which the Lord calls us.

The miracle, which took place at Mary’s conception, was renewed for us in Baptism: cleansed from original sin, we have become children of God, his dwelling place and the temple of the Holy Spirit.  And just as Mary, by means of a special grace, was able to welcome Jesus in herself and give him to all people, so too “Baptism allows Christ to live in us and allows us to live united with him, to cooperate in the Church, each according to his or her condition, for the transformation of the world” (Francis, Catechesis, 11 April 2018).

Dear friends, how great is the gift of the Immaculate Conception, but so also is the gift of Baptism that we have received!  The “yes” of the Mother of the Lord is wonderful, but so also can ours be, renewed faithfully each day, with gratitude, humility and perseverance, in prayer and in concrete acts of love, from the most extraordinary gestures to the most mundane and ordinary efforts and acts of service.  In this way, Christ can be known, welcomed and loved everywhere and salvation can come to everyone.

Today, let us ask the Father for this, through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, while we pray together the very same words by which she herself first believed.

I wish all of you a peaceful feast day in the light of our heavenly Mother.

08.12.25

Pope Leo Angelus 07.12.25

How do we receive the Word of God? The response is clear: As one receives Jesus Christ. The Church tells us that Jesus is present in the Scripture, in His Word.

Always carry a small Gospel with you in your purse, in your pocket, and read a passage from the Gospel during the day. Not so much to learn something, but mostly to find Jesus, because Jesus actually is in His Word, in His Gospel.  Every time I read the Gospel, I find Jesus.  - Pope Francis 01.09.14

Daily Readings - read the entire New Testament over a 2 year period (reading plan courtesy of Gideon International)

The Bible Online

Thank you, Francis

Every month, you have invited us to pray with you for the challenges of humanity and the mission of the Church, teaching us to learn compassion for others from the heart of Christ. Thank you, Francis, for your life and your witness.

Your Worldwide Prayer Network.

Pope Francis Easter Message and Urbi et Orbi Blessing   20.04.25

Easter Sunday

for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Pope Francis

Care for Our Common Home - Laudato Si'

Pope Francis 

Refugees and Migrants

Pope Francis

 Marriage

Pope Francis - The ‘foreverness’ and beauty of Love 

Pope Francis - The Family in the Light of the Word of God

Pope Francis 

Fraternity

Pope Francis

Compassion

Pope Francis

Happiness

Pope Leo Apostolic Journey to Lebanon 02.12.25

Beirut,  Holy Mass