Pope Francis Homilies

Books of the Bible Index of Homilies

Matthew Mark Luke John The Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Tobit Judith Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes The Song of Songs The Book of Wisdom Sirach Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

Pope Leo Apostolic Journey to Algeria 14.04.26

Visit to the archaeological site of Hippo, Annaba

Watch Live from 11.00 Rome Time

Followed by 11:35 Visit to the nursing home of the Little Sisters of the Poor,

15:30 HOLY MASS in the Basilica of Saint Augustine

Pope Leo Apostolic Journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea

13–23 April 2026

Pope Leo Regina Caeli 12.04.26

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday and happy Easter once again!

Today, on the Second Sunday of Easter, dedicated to Divine Mercy by Saint John Paul II, the Gospel recounts the appearance of the risen Jesus to the Apostle Thomas (cf. Jn 20:19–31). This event took place eight days after Easter, while the community was gathered together. There, Thomas encountered the Master, who invited him to look at the marks of the nails and to put his hand into the wound in his side, and to believe (cf. v. 27). This scene invites us to reflect on our own encounter with the risen Jesus. Where can we find him? How can we recognise him? How can we believe? Saint John, who narrated the event, gives us precise indications: Thomas met Jesus on the eighth day, in the gathered community, and recognised him in the signs of his sacrifice. His profession of faith, the highest in the entire Fourth Gospel, emerged from this experience: “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28).

Of course, it is not always easy to believe. It was not easy for Thomas, and it is not easy for us either. Faith needs to be nourished and sustained. For this reason, on the “eighth day” — that is, every Sunday — the Church invites us to do as the first disciples did: gather together and celebrate the Eucharist. During Mass, we listen to the words of Jesus, we pray, we profess our faith, we share God’s gifts in charity, we offer our lives in union with the Sacrifice of Christ. His Body and Blood nourish us, so that we too may become witnesses of his Resurrection, as indicated by the term “Mass,” which means “sending forth,” or “mission” (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1332).

The Sunday Eucharist is indispensable to the Christian life. Tomorrow I will depart for my Apostolic Journey to Africa. Some of the martyrs of the early African Church, particularly the Martyrs of Abitene, have left us a beautiful testimony in this regard. When offered the chance to save their lives by renouncing the celebration of the Eucharist, they replied that they could not live without celebrating the Lord’s Day. It is there that our faith is grows and is strengthened. It is there that our efforts, though limited, are united by God’s grace to the actions of the members of a single body — the Body of Christ — for the accomplishment of a single great plan of salvation that embraces all humanity. It is through the Eucharist that our hands become “the hands of the Risen One,” giving witness to his presence, mercy and peace. The signs of work, sacrifice, illness and the passing of the years are often etched into our hands, just as they are in the tenderness of a caress, a handshake, or a gesture of charity.

Dear brothers and sisters, in a world that is in such great need of peace, this calls on us more than ever to be steadfast and faithful in our Eucharistic encounter with the risen Lord, so that we may go forth as witnesses of charity and messengers of reconciliation. May the Virgin Mary help us to do this, she who is blessed because she was the first to believe without seeing (cf. Jn 20:29).

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today, many Eastern Churches celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar. In communion of faith in the Risen Lord, I extend my heartfelt wishes for peace to all these communities. I accompany these wishes with my fervent prayer for all those suffering due to war, particularly for the dear people of Ukraine. May the light of Christ bring comfort to afflicted hearts and strengthen the hope for peace. May the international community’s attention to the tragedy of this war not waver!

In these days of sorrow, fear, and unwavering hope in God, I feel closer than ever to the beloved people of Lebanon. The principle of humanity, inscribed in the conscience of every person and recognized in international law, entails a moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the horrific effects of war. I call on the parties in the conflict to declare a ceasefire and urgently seek a peaceful solution.

Next Wednesday marks the third anniversary of the start of the bloodstained conflict in Sudan. How much the Sudanese people are suffering, innocent victims of this inhuman tragedy! I renew my fervent appeal to the warring parties to silence their weapons and begin, without preconditions, a sincere dialogue aimed at ending this fratricidal war as soon as possible.

Now, I welcome all of you – Romans and pilgrims alike – especially the faithful who celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday at the Shrine of Santo Spirito in Sassia.

I greet the Musikverein Kleinraming, from the Diocese of Linz in Austria, the faithful who have come from Poland, the young people from the Collège Saint Jean de Passy in Paris, and those of various nationalities from the Focolare Movement. I also greet the pilgrimage group from the community of San Benedetto Po and the confirmands from Santarcangelo di Romagna and San Vito.

I will depart tomorrow for my ten-day Apostolic Journey to four African countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. Please keep me in your prayers.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday!

12.04.26

Pope Leo Prayer Vigil for Peace

with the recitation of the Holy Rosary 11.04.26

Pope Leo General Audience 08.04.26

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

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

The Constitution of the Second Vatican Council Lumen gentium (LG) on the Church dedicates an entire chapter, the fifth, to the universal vocation to holiness of all the faithful: every one of us is called to live in the grace of God, practising the virtues and imitating Christ. Holiness, according to the Conciliar Constitution, is not a privilege for the few, but a gift that requires every baptised person to strive for the perfection of charity, that is, the fullness of love towards God and towards one’s neighbour. Charity is, in fact, the heart of the holiness to which all believers are called: infused by the Father, through the Son Jesus, this virtue “rules over all the means of attaining holiness and gives life to these same means” (LG, 42). The highest level of holiness, as in the early days of the Church, is martyrdom, the “supreme witness of faith and charity” (LG, 50: for this reason, the Council text teaches that every believer must be ready to confess Christ even unto blood (cf. LG, 42), as has always been the case and continues to be so today. This readiness to bear witness is realised every time Christians leave signs of faith and love in society, committing themselves to justice.

08.04.26

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 Regina Caeli 06.04.26

Easter Monday

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

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is risen! Happy Easter!

This greeting, filled with wonder and joy, will accompany us throughout this week. As we celebrate the new day the Lord has made for us, the liturgy proclaims the entry of all creation into the time of salvation: in the name of Jesus, the despair of death is swept away forever.

Today’s Gospel (Mt 28:8–15) calls us to choose between two accounts: that of the women who encountered the risen Lord (vv. 9–11), and that of the guards who were bribed by the leaders of the Sanhedrin (vv. 11–14). The former proclaim Christ’s victory over death; the latter assert that death prevails always and in every circumstance. According to their version, Jesus has not risen; instead, his body was stolen. From the same fact — the empty tomb — two interpretations arise: one a source of new and eternal life, the other of certain and definitive death.

This contrast invites us to reflect on the value of Christian witness and the integrity of human communication. Often, the proclamation of truth is obscured by what we today call “fake news” — lies, insinuations, and unfounded accusations. Yet, in the face of such obstacles, the truth does not remain hidden; rather, it comes forth to meet us, living and radiant, illuminating even the deepest darkness. Just as he spoke to the women at the tomb, Jesus says to us today: “Do not be afraid; go and tell” (v. 10). In this way, he himself becomes the Good News to be witnessed in the world. The Passover of the Lord is our Passover — the Passover of all humanity — for this man who died for us is the Son of God, who gave his life for us. Just as the risen One, ever living and present, frees the past from a destructive end, so the Easter proclamation redeems our future from the tomb.

Dear friends, how important it is that this Gospel reach, above all, those oppressed by the evil that corrupts history and confuses consciences! I think of peoples afflicted by war, of Christians persecuted for their faith, of children deprived of an education. To proclaim the Paschal mystery of Christ in both word and deed means to give a new voice to hope — a hope otherwise stifled by the hands of the violent. Wherever it is proclaimed, the Good News sheds light upon every shadow, in every age.

With particular affection, in the light of the risen Lord, we remember today Pope Francis, who, on Easter Monday of last year, returned to the Lord. As we recall his profound witness of faith and love, let us pray together to the Virgin Mary, Seat of Wisdom, that we may become ever more radiant heralds of the truth.

Dear brothers and sisters,

I extend a warm welcome to all of you, dear pilgrims from Italy and various other countries. I greet, in particular, the young people from the Deanery of Appiano Gentile. My thoughts go out to all those in different parts of the world who are taking part in the initiatives organised for the “International Day of Sport for Development and Peace”, renewing my appeal that sport, with its universal language of fraternity, may be a place of inclusion and peace.

06.04.26

Pope Leo Easter Message and “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing 05.04.26

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

Brothers and sisters,

Christ is risen! Happy Easter!

For centuries, the Church has joyfully sung of the event that is the origin and foundation of her faith: “Yes, Christ my hope is arisen / Christ indeed from death is risen / Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning” (Easter Sequence).

Easter is the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hatred. It is a victory that came at a very high price: Christ, the Son of the living God (cf. Mt 16:16), had to die — and die on a cross — after suffering an unjust condemnation, being mocked and tortured, and shedding all his blood. As the true immolated Lamb, he took upon himself the sin of the world (cf. Jn 1:29; 1 Pet 1:18–19) and thus freed us all — and with us, all creation — from the dominion of evil.

But how was Jesus able to be victorious? What is the strength with which he defeated once and for all the ancient adversary, the prince of this world (cf. Jn 12:31)? What is the power with which he rose from the dead, not returning to his former life, but entering into eternal life and thus opening in his own flesh the passage from this world to the Father?

This strength, this power, is God himself for he is Love who creates and generates, Love who is faithful to the end and Love who forgives and redeems.

Christ, our “victorious King,” fought and won his battle through trusting abandonment to the Father’s will, to his plan of salvation (cf. Mt 26:42). Thus he walked the path of dialogue to the very end, not in words but in deeds: to find us who were lost, he became flesh; to free us who were slaves, he became a slave; to give life to us mortals, he allowed himself to be killed on the cross.

The power with which Christ rose is entirely non-violent. It is like that of a grain of wheat which, having rotted in the earth, grows, breaks through the clods, sprouts, and becomes a golden ear of wheat. It is even more like that of a human heart which, wounded by an offence, rejects the instinct for revenge and, filled with compassion, prays for the one who has committed the offence.

Brothers and sisters, this is the true strength that brings peace to humanity, because it fosters respectful relationships at every level: among individuals, families, social groups, and nations. It does not seek private interests, but the common good; it does not seek to impose its own plan, but to help design and carry out a plan together with others.

Yes, Christ’s resurrection is the beginning of a new humanity; it is the entrance into the true promised land, where justice, freedom, and peace reign, where all recognise one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father who is Love, Life, and Light.

Brothers and sisters, through his resurrection, the Lord confronts us even more powerfully with the dramatic reality of our freedom. Before the empty tomb, we can be filled with hope and wonder, like the disciples, or with fear like the guards and the Pharisees, forced to resort to lies and subterfuge rather than acknowledge that the one who had been condemned is truly risen (cf. Mt 28:11–15)!

In the light of Easter, let us allow ourselves to be amazed by Christ! Let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us! Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!

We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel.

The Gospel in your pocket

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

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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