Pope Francis

The Pope during the Angelus – God never ceases to believe in us

Angelus, 15th Sunday in Ordinary time

  Liberty Square, Castell Gandolfo

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

In today’s liturgy, the Evangelist Matthew presents us with the Parable of the Sower (cf. Mt 13:1–23), which describes the generosity and trust with which God sows his Word in our hearts and his power in us.

Jesus himself, the Word made flesh, who gave his life for our salvation, is the seed that the Father continues to sow throughout the world so that, by dying, he may bear much fruit (cf. Jn 12:24).  It is true that sometimes he finds in us hard and unresponsive soil, at other times distracted soil, like the beaten path, the rocky ground, or the thorny bushes.  Yet there are also moments when he finds receptive and fertile ground, and then miracles of love are set in motion that have the power to transform everything — as we ourselves have no doubt experienced in our own lives.  For this reason, the Father never ceases to sow, because he knows that the power of his love is stronger than our weakness (cf. 2Cor 12:9–10)… Read more »

Pope in Lampedusa: Faced with enormous suffering, we must radically respond

Papal Mass, pastoral visit of His Holiness the Pope

  Arena Sports Field in Salina, Lampedusa

Homily by Pope Leo XIV

Dear brothers and sisters,

God always loves us first. The beauty of the sea, this island and your faces is a reflection of his gratuitous initiative: love precedes us, surrounds us and brings us together. I am grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to visit you, following in the footsteps of Pope Francis, who chose to travel to Lampedusa on 8 July 2013 for his first trip as the Successor of PeterRead more »

Pope invites new Archbishops to be Good Shepherds

Papal Mass with the blessing of the Sacred Pallium for the new Archbishops on the solemnity of St Peter and St Paul

  St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican

Homily by Pope Leo XIV

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today, in a single Solemnity, we commemorate Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of the city and Diocese of Rome. One was chosen by Jesus as shepherd of his flock, and the other as apostle to the Gentiles. In them, we venerate two pillars of the Church.

Peter, guardian of the People of God, is often portrayed in the New Testament as striving to preserve communion among the brothers… Read more »

Pope at Angelus: Love involves detachment, loss, hospitality

Angelus

  St Peter's Square, the Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 10:37–42), we hear some of Jesus’ exhortations on how to follow him and be witnesses to his kingdom.  This is not just a matter of outward acts, but of committing ourselves entirely to a loving relationship with him.  In order to bear fruit, love requires at least three things: detachmentloss and hospitalityRead more »

Pope at Consistory Opening Mass: War is never blessed by God

Mass concelebrated with Cardinals at Extraordinary Consistory

  St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican

Photo: Vatican Media Homily by Pope Leo XIV

Dear brothers,

We have gathered around the altar of the Lord, at the tomb of Saint Peter, to begin this Consistory. From every corner of the world, we have come to celebrate this Eucharist. Let us offer to God our lives and the communities and peoples we hold dear, as well as our pastoral projects and experiences with all their joys and sorrows… Read more »

Pope at Audience: Let us be transformed by the Eucharistic mystery

  St Peter's Square, the Vatican

Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. III. Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium. 4. The Mystery of the Eucharist

Message by Pope Leo XIV

Dear brothers and sisters,

When Saint Augustine wanted to explain the mystery of the Body of Christ to those who were newly baptized, he took up the passage from Saint Paul that we have just heard: “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.” (1 Cor 12:27)… Read more »

Pope tells Christians to respond to hatred with love

  St Peter's Square, the Vatican

Message by Pope Leo XIV

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 10:26-33), Jesus sends the disciples out on their mission and addresses them with this exhortation: “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops” (v. 27).

He draws a parallel between what we hear “in private,” namely, what is in the secret of our hearts, and what we are called to proclaim to everyone… Read more »

Pope welcomes US-Iran agreement, calls for mutual trust in Middle East

  St Peter's Square, the Vatican

Catechesis: The Apostolic Journey to Spain

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Today I would like to share some reflections on the Apostolic Journey I made last week to Spain, visiting Madrid, Barcelona, the Abbey of Montserrat and the Canary Islands.

After the long journey in four African countries, this time I found myself immersed in a European country with an ancient and very rich Catholic tradition… Read more »

The Pope: God’s grace is freely given and must be shared

  St Peter's Square, the Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Sunday!

Today’s Gospel (Mt 9:36–10:8) brings us a great gift, for it draws all who hear it into Jesus’ gaze: it is a story that bears witness to the attentiveness of this gaze, as well as telling us what the Lord sees. We read, in fact, that Christ “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless” (v… Read more »