Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Human life is characterized by a constant movement that drives us to do, to act. Nowadays speed is required everywhere in order to achieve optimal results in a wide variety of fields. How does Jesus’ resurrection shed light on this aspect of our experience? When we participate in his victory over death, will we rest? Faith tells us: yes, we will rest. We will not be inactive, but we will enter into God’s repose, which is peace and joy. So, should we just wait, or can this change us right now?

We are absorbed by many activities that do not always leave us satisfied. A lot of our actions have to do with practical, concrete things. We have to assume responsibility for many commitments, solve problems, face difficulties. Jesus too was involved with people and with life, not sparing himself, but rather giving himself to the end. Yet we often perceive how too much doing, instead of giving us fulfilment, becomes a vortex that overwhelms us, takes away our serenity, and prevents us from living to the fullest what is truly important in our lives. We then feel tired and dissatisfied: time seems to be wasted on a thousand practical things that do not, however, resolve the ultimate meaning of our existence. Sometimes, at the end of days full of activities, we feel empty. Why? Because we are not machines, we have a “heart”; indeed, we can say that we are a heart.

The heart is the symbol of all our humanity, the sum of our thoughts, feelings and desires, the invisible centre of our selves. The Evangelist Matthew invites us to reflect on the importance of the heart, quoting this beautiful phrase of Jesus: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:21).

It is therefore in the heart that true treasure is kept, not in earthly safes, not in large financial investments, which today more than ever before are out of control and unjustly concentrated at the bloody price of millions of human lives and the devastation of God’s creation.

It is important to reflect on these aspects, because in the numerous commitments we continually face, there is an increasing risk of dispersion, sometimes of despair, of meaninglessness, even in apparently successful people. Instead, interpreting life in the light of Easter, looking at it with the Risen Jesus, means finding access to the essence of the human person, to our heart: cor inquietum. With this adjective “restless”, Saint Augustine helps us understand the human being’s yearning for fulfilment. The full sentence refers to the beginning of the Confessions, where Augustine writes: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (I, 1,1).

Restlessness is the sign that our heart does not move by chance, in a disordered way, without a purpose or a destination, but is oriented towards its ultimate destination, the “return home”. The authentic approach of the heart does not consist in possessing the goods of this world, but in achieving what can fill it completely; namely, the love of God, or rather, God who is Love. This treasure, however, can only be found by loving the neighbour we meet along the way: brothers and sisters in flesh and blood, whose presence stirs and questions our heart, calling it to open up and give itself. Our neighbour asks us to slow down, to look them in the eye, sometimes to change our plans, perhaps even to change direction.

Dear friends, here is the secret of the movement of the human heart: returning to the source of its being, delighting in the joy that never fails, that never disappoints. No one can live without a meaning that goes beyond the contingent, beyond what passes away. The human heart cannot live without hope, without knowing that it is made for fullness, not for want.

Jesus Christ, with his Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection, has given us a solid foundation for this hope. The restless heart will not be disappointed, if it enters into the dynamism of the love for which it was created. The destination is certain, life has triumphed, and in Christ it will continue to triumph in every death of daily life. This is Christian hope: let us always bless and thank the Lord who has given it to us!

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 Nigeria, Indonesia 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 Savior of the world. God bless you all!

Lastly, I greet the sick, the newlyweds and the young people, especially the students of the Cicero Institute of Sala Consilina and those of the Capriotti Institute of San Benedetto del Tronto. In a few days it will be Christmas and I imagine that in your homes the preparation of the nativity scene, an evocative representation of the Mystery of the Nativity of Christ, is being completed or has already been completed. I hope that such an important element, not only of our faith, but also of Christian culture and art, will continue to be part of Christmas to remember Jesus who, in becoming man, came "to dwell among us".

My blessing to you all!

17.12.25

Pope Leo Angelus 14.12.25

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

Today’s Gospel places in jail with John the Baptist, who finds himself imprisoned because of his preaching (cf. Mt 14:3-5). Nevertheless, he does not lose hope, thus becoming for us a sign that a prophet, even in chains, retains the ability to use his voice in the pursuit of truth and justice.

From prison, John the Baptist hears “about the works of Christ” (Mt 11:2), which are different from what he expected, so he sends his disciples to ask him: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another?” (v. 3). Those who seek truth and justice, those who long for freedom and peace, have questions about Jesus: Is he truly the Messiah, the Saviour promised by God through the prophets?

Jesus responds by directing our gaze toward those whom he loved and served. It is: the least, the poor, the sick who speak on his behalf. Christ announces who he is by what he does. And what he does is a sign of salvation for all of us. In fact, by encountering Jesus – lives previously deprived of light, speech and taste regain meaning – the blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear. The image of God, seemingly disfigured by leprosy, regains wholeness and vitality. Even the dead, who are completely lifeless, come back to life (cf. v. 5). This is the Gospel of Jesus, the good news proclaimed to the poor. Thus, when God comes into the world, it is clearly seen!

The words of Jesus free us from the prison of despair and suffering. Every prophecy finds its expected fulfillment in Him. It is Christ who opens the eyes of man to the glory of God. He gives voice to the oppressed and to those whose voices have been silenced by violence and hatred. He defeats ideologies that make us deaf to the truth. He heals the ailments that deform the body.

In this way, the Word of life redeems us from evil, which causes the heart to die.  For this reason, in this Advent season, as disciples of the Lord, we are called to combine our anticipation of the Savior with attention to what God is doing in the world. Then we will be able to experience the joy of freedom in encountering our Savior: “Gaudete in Domino semper – Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4). This invitation introduces today’s Holy Mass, the third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday. Let us rejoice, since Jesus is our hope, especially in times of trial, when life seems to lose meaning and everything appears darker, words fail us, and we struggle to understand others.

May the Virgin Mary, model of expectant hope, attentiveness, and joy, help us to imitate the work of her Son by sharing bread and the Gospel with the poor.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday.

14.12.25a

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 Holy Mass 14.12.25

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today we celebrate the Jubilee of Hope for correctional institutions, prisoners and all those who oversee or work in the penitentiary system. The choice of this day, the third Sunday of Advent, for this particular jubilee is rich in meaning, as it is the day that the Church calls Gaudete Sunday, whose name comes from the first words of the entrance antiphon for the Mass (cf. Phil 4:4). In the Liturgical Year, it is the Sunday “of joy”, which reminds us of the bright aspect of waiting: the confidence that something beautiful, something joyful will happen.

In this regard, on 26 December last year, Pope Francis, when opening the Holy Door in the Church of Our Father in the prison in Rebibbia, addressed this invitation to everyone: “I say two things to you: First, the rope in hand, with the anchor of hope. Second, open wide the doors of your heart”. Referring to an image already directed toward eternity, beyond the barrier of space and time (cf. Heb 6:17-20), he was inviting us to keep alive our faith in the life to come and always to believe in the possibility of a better future. At the same time, however, he was exhorting us to be people who practice, with generous hearts, justice and charity in the places where we live.

While the close of the Jubilee Year draws near, we must recognize that, despite the efforts of many, even in the penitentiary system there is much that still needs to be done in this regard. The words of the prophet Isaiah that we have just heard, “the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing” (35:10), remind us that it is God who ransoms, who redeems and liberates. Furthermore, they convey the sense of an important and demanding mission for all of us. Certainly, prison is a difficult place and even the best proposals can encounter many obstacles. For this reason, however, we must never tire, be discouraged or give up. We must keep moving forward with tenacity, courage and a spirit of collaboration. Indeed, there are many who do not yet understand that for every fall one must be able to get back up, that no human being is defined only by his or her actions and that justice is always a process of reparation and reconciliation.

Yet, when even in difficult situations we are able to maintain and preserve the beauty of feelings, sensitivity, attention to the needs of others, respect, the capacity for mercy and forgiveness, beautify flowers spring forth from the “hard ground” of sin and suffering. Moreover, gestures, projects and encounters, unique in their humanity, mature even within prison walls. This involves working on one’s own feelings and thoughts, which is necessary for those deprived of their freedom, but even more so for those who have the obligation of representing them and making sure that they are treated justly. The Jubilee is a call to conversion and, as such, it is a source of hope and joy.

For this reason, it is important to look first of all to Jesus, to his humanity and to his Kingdom in which “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk… and the poor have good news preached to them” (Mt 11:5). We must remember that, even if at times these miracles come through the extraordinary interventions of God, more often they are entrusted to us, to our compassion, attention and wisdom and to the responsibility of our community and institutions.

This brings us to another dimension of the prophesy that we heard: the obligation to promote in every place – and I wish to emphasize particularly in prisons – a society established on new criteria, and ultimately on charity, as Saint Paul VI said at the conclusion of the 1975 Jubilee Year: “This – charity – should be, especially on the plane of public life, … the beginning of the new hour of grace and goodwill, which the calendar of history opens before us: the civilization of love!” (General Audience, 31 December 1975).

To this end, Pope Francis also hoped that during this Jubilee year “forms of amnesty or pardon meant to help individuals regain confidence in themselves and in society” (Bull, Spes Non Confundit, 10) could be granted and real opportunities of reintegration could be offered to all (cf. ibid.). I hope that many countries are following his desire. The Jubilee, as we know, with its biblical origin, was a year of grace in which everyone was offered the possibility of restarting in many different ways (cf. Lev 25:8-10).

The Gospel that we heard also speaks to us of this reality. John the Baptist, while he was preaching and baptizing, invited the people to repentance and to cross the river once again, symbolically, as in the time of Joshua (cf. Josh 3:17) in order to enter into and take possession of the new “Promised Land”, that is a heart reconciled with God and with our brothers and sisters. In this sense, John’s profile as a prophet is eloquent: he was upright, austere and frank, even to the point of being imprisoned for his courageous words. He was not “A reed shaken by the wind” (Mt 11:7). Yet at the same time, he was rich in mercy and understanding towards all who sincerely repented and were struggling to change (cf, Lk 3:10-14).

In this regard, Saint Augustine concludes one of his famous commentaries on the episode in the Gospel of the adulterous woman (cf. Jn 8:1-11) saying: “When the accusers left, only the poor woman and mercy remained. And to her the Lord said: go and sin no more (Jn 8:10-11)” (Sermo 302, 14).

Let no one be lost! Let all be saved! This is what our God wants, this is his Kingdom, and this is the goal of his actions in the world. As Christmas approaches, we too want to embrace more strongly his dream, while being steadfast and faithful in our commitment (cf. James 5:8). We know that even in the face of the greatest challenges, we are not alone: the Lord is near (cf. Phil 4:5), he walks with us, and with him at our side, something beautiful and joyful will always happen.

14.12.25 m

Pope Leo – December 2025

For Christians in areas of conflict

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 Holy Mass 14.12.25