General Audiences

Pope at Audience: Humility is a strong virtue

  St Peter's Square, the Vatican

Cycle of Catechesis. Vices and Virtues. 20. Humility

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

We will conclude this cycle of catechesis by looking at a virtue which is not part of the seven cardinal and theological virtues, but which is at the base of Christian life: this virtue is humility. It is the great antagonist of the most mortal of sins, namely arrogance… Read more »

Pope at Audience: We speak a lot about love, but what is love?

  Saint Peter's Square, The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today we will talk about the third theological virtue, charity. The other two, let us remember, were faith and hope: today we will talk about the third, charity. It is the culmination of the entire itinerary we have undertaken with the catecheses on the virtues. To think of charity immediately expands the heart, and it expands the mind, it evokes the inspired words of Saint Paul in the First Letter to the Corinthians… Read more »

Il-Papa fl-Udjenza – The world needs hope

  Saint Peter's Square, The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters!

In the last catechesis we began to reflect on the theological virtues. There are three of them: faith, hope and charity. Last time, we reflected on faith. Now it is the turn of hope. “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no… Read more »

Pope at Audience – The great enemy of faith is fear

  Paul VI Audience Hall, The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today I would like to talk about the virtue of faith. Together with charity and hope, this virtue is described as theologal. There are three theologal virtues: faith, hope and charity. Why are they theologal? Because they can be lived – this virtue, the three theologal virtues – only thanks to the gift of God… Read more »

Pope at Audience: Pride is a powerful poison, a drop is enough to spoil a lifetime of goodness

  St Peter's Square, the Vatican

Cycle of Catechesis. Vices and Virtues. 16. The life of grace according to the Spirit

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

In recent weeks we have reflected on the cardinal virtues: prudencejusticefortitude, and temperance. They are the four cardinal virtues. As we have emphasized several times, these four virtues belong to a very ancient wisdom that predates even Christianity… Read more »

Pope at Audience – Do not allow a moment’s anger to ruin relationships and friendships

  Saint Peter's Square, The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today I will talk about the fourth and final cardinal virtue: temperance. With the other three, this virtue shares a history that goes far back in time and does not only belong to Christians. For the Greeks, the practice of the virtues had happiness as its objective. The philosopher Aristotle wrote his most important treatise on ethics, addressing it to his son Nicomachus, to instruct him in the art of living… Read more »

Pope at Audience – There are internal enemies we must defeat

  Saint Peter's Square, The Vatican

Cycle of Catechesis. Vices and Virtues. 14. Fortitude

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today’s catechesis is dedicated to the third of the cardinal virtues, namely fortitude. Let us begin with the description given in the Catechism of the Catholic Church : “Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good… Read more »

Pope at Audience: Justice is a virtue for good coexistence between people

  Saint Peter's Square, The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Easter, good morning!

Here we are at the second of the cardinal virtues: today will talke about justice. It is the quintessential social virtue. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it as “the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbour” (no… Read more »

Pope at Audience – Patiently enduring troublesome people

  Paul VI Audience Hall, The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Last Sunday we listened to the account of the Passion of the Lord. Jesus responds to the sufferings He endures with a virtue that, although it is not considered among the traditional ones, is so important: patience. It regards the forbearance of what one suffers: it is not a coincidence that patience has the same root as passion… Read more »

Pope at Audience: The ancient lesson of prudence deserves to be revived

  Saint Peter's Square, The Vatican

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

We are devoting today’s catechesis to the virtue of prudence. Along with justice, fortitude and temperance, it is one of the so-called cardinal virtues, which are not the exclusive prerogative of Christians, but rather belong to the heritage of ancient wisdom, in particular of the Greek philosophers. Therefore, one of the most interesting themes in the work of encounter and inculturation was precisely that of the virtues… Read more »