St Peter's Square5thSunday of Easter, 3 May 2026 ________________________________________ Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday! During the Easter season, like the early Church, we return to the words of Jesus, which reveal their full meaning in the light of his passion, death and resurrection.  What once eluded the disciples or caused them distress now comes back to their minds, warms their hearts and fills them with hope. The Gospel proclaimed this Sunday presents the Master’s dialogue with his disciples during the Last Supper. In particular, we hear a promise that involves us from t…

HOLY MASS ON THE SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD Saint Peter's BasilicaThursday, 1stJanuary 2026 Today, on the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, at the beginning of the new civil year, the Liturgy offers us the text of a beautiful blessing: “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace” (Num6:24-26). In the Book of Numbers, this blessing follows the instructions regarding the consecration of the Nazirites, highlighting the sacred and fruitful dimension of offering gi…

St Peter's SquareSunday, 31 May 2026 ________________________________________ Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday! The Easter season concluded last week with theSolemnity of Pentecost. Today, we celebrate the Mystery of the Triune God, which offers us the opportunity to reflect on the journey we have made. We begin with God’s life which was given to us in Christ Jesus. This life is a dynamic, inexhaustible and faith communion that draw us in. Indeed, the Spirit who unites the Father and the Son has been poured into our hearts. In this way, the Church becomes a sacrament of communion, …

St Peter's SquareSunday, 24 May 2026 ________________________________________ Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday! On thisSolemnity of Pentecost, we are called to contemplate the gift of the Holy Spirit, which was poured out in abundance upon the early Church and is bestowed anew upon its members today, granting us light and strength throughout our everyday circumstances. Let us reflect on an image of the Spirit that today’s liturgy sets before us: the Spirit opens doors. The Gospel, in fact, tells us that “the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of …

St Peter's SquareSunday, 17 May 2026 ________________________________________ Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday! In many countries throughout the world, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated today. The image of Jesus –– lifted up from the earth and ascending toward heaven, as the Bible states (cf.Acts1:1-11) –– may cause us to think about this Mystery as a distant event from long ago. Yet this is not so, for we are united to Jesus as the members of one body united to the head. By ascending into heaven, then, he draws us with him toward full communion with t…

St Peter's SquareSunday, 10 May 2026 ________________________________________ Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday! In today’s Gospel, we hear some of the words Jesus addressed to his disciples during the Last Supper. As he turns the bread and wine into a living expression of his love, Christ says: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn14:15). This statement frees us from the misconception that we are loved because we keep the commandments, as if our righteousness were a prerequisite for God’s love. On the contrary, God’s love is the basis for our righteousness. We…

SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORDCLOSING OF THE HOLY DOOR AND HOLY MASS Saint Peter's BasilicaTuesday, 6 January 2026 The Gospel (cf.Mt2:1-12) described for us the great joy the Magi experienced when they saw the star once again (cf. v. 10), and at the same time how Herod and all in Jerusalem were troubled by their searching (cf. v. 3). Indeed, every time Sacred Scripture speaks of God manifesting himself, it does not hide the contrasting reactions, such as joy and agitation, resistance and obedience, fear and longing. Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, aware that in his presen…

SOLEMNITY OF THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL CELEBRATION OF SECOND VESPERS59thWEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY Basilica of St Paul outside the WallsSunday, 25 January 2026 In one of the Scripture passages we have just heard, the Apostle Paul refers to himself as “the least of the apostles” (1 Cor15:9). He considers himself unworthy of this title because he had once been a persecutor of the Church of God. Nevertheless, he is not a prisoner of that past, but rather a “prisoner in the Lord” (Eph4:1). It was indeed by the grace of God that Paul came to know the risen Lord Jesus, who reve…

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORDHOLY MASS AND RITE OF BAPTISM OF BABIES Sistine ChapelSunday, 11 January 2026 When the Lord enters history, he comes with an open and humble heart to meet each person. He seeks our gaze with his own, full of love, and enters into dialogue with us, revealing the Word of salvation. By becoming man, the Son of God opens a surprising possibility for everyone, inaugurating a new and unexpected time – one that even the prophets had not fully foreseen. John the Baptist immediately perceives this and asks Jesus: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to m…

St Peter's BasilicaThursday, 8 January 2026 _________________________________ “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God” (1Jn4:7). The liturgy sets this exhortation before us as we celebrate the Extraordinary Consistory, a moment of grace wherein our unity in the service of the Church finds its expression. As we know, the word Consistory (Consistorium, or “assembly”) can be understood through the root of the verbconsistere, meaning “to stand still.” Indeed, all of us have “paused” in order to be here. We have set aside our activities for a time, and even ca…

FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD30thWORLD DAY FOR CONSECRATED LIFE St Peter's BasilicaMonday, 2 February 2026 Dear brothers and sisters, today, on this Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the Gospel recounts how Simeon and Anna recognized and proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah in the Temple (cf.Lk2:22-40). What unfolds before us is a meeting between two movements of love: that of God, who comes to save his people, and that of humanity, which awaits his coming with vigilant faith. On the part of God, the fact that Jesus is presented as the son of a poor family within the grand setting o…

Parish of “Mary Queen of Peace" (Ostia Lido)6thSunday in Ordinary Time, 15 February 2026 It is a source of great joy for me to be here and to experience with your community the gesture from which “Sunday” takes its name. It is “the Lord's Day” because the Risen Jesus comes among us, listens to us and speaks to us, nourishes us and sends us forth. Thus, in today’s Gospel, Jesus announces his “new law”: not only a teaching, but the strength to put it into practice. It is the grace of the Holy Spirit that writes indelibly in our hearts and brings to fulfilment the commandments of…

HOLY MASS, BLESSING AND IMPOSITION OF ASHES Basilica of Saint Sabina on the Aventine HillAsh Wednesday, 18 February 2026 At the beginning of each liturgical season, we joyfully rediscover the grace of being Church, namely a community gathered to listen to the word of God. The voice of the Prophet Joel speaks to us, bringing each of us out of our isolation and showing us the urgent need for conversion, which is always both personal and public: “Gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast” (2:16). He mentions the most fra…

Parish of the "Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rome)2ndSunday of Lent, 1stof March 2026 I am pleased to be with you and to be able to listen, together with you, to the Word of God with your entire parish community. This Sunday presents us with Abraham’s journey (cf.Gen12:1-4) and the event of Jesus’ Transfiguration (cf.Mt17:1-9). Like Abraham, we can all recognize ourselves as being on a journey. Life is a journey that requires trust, it requires reliance on the Word of God who calls us and sometimes asks us to leave everything behind. We may then be tempted to flee from precariousn…

Parish of the“Sacred Heart of Jesus," Castro Pretorio (Rome)1stSunday of Lent, 22 February 2026 A few days ago, with therite of Ash Wednesday, we began the Lenten journey. Lent is an intense liturgical period, which offers us the opportunity to rediscover the wealth of our Baptism, to live as creatures fully renewed thanks to the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus. The first Reading and the Gospel, which we have heard, in dialogue with each other, help us to rediscover the gift of Baptism as a grace that comes towards our freedom. The account of Genesis recalls our condition as c…

Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Ponte Mammolo (Rome)4thSunday of Lent, 15 March 2026 Our Eucharistic celebration today, more than ever, is filled with joy. Indeed, the beauty of our gathering today is set against the backdrop of the Sunday known as “Laetare”, meaning “rejoice”, taken from the words of Isaiah: “Rejoice with Jerusalem” (Entrance Antiphon, cf.Is66:10). This gives us cause to reflect. At present, many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world are suffering because of violent conflicts, caused by the absurd claim that problems and differences can be resolv…

Parish of "S. Maria della Presentazione" (Rome)3rdSunday of Lent, 8 March 2026 I am happy to be with you on this third Sunday of Lent. It is an important stage in our following of Jesus, leading up to His Passion, death and Resurrection at Easter. On this journey, God’s proximity and our life of faith are deeply intertwined: by renewing in each of us the grace of Baptism, the Lord calls us to conversion, even as He purifies our hearts with His love and with the works of charity He asks us to perform. In this regard, the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman engages us with great …

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIVTO SPAIN(6-12 JUNE 2026) HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV Basilica of the Sagrada Família (Barcelona)Wednesday, 10 June 2026 _______________________________ “Senyor, sobirà nostre, que n’és, de gloriós, el vostre nom per tota la terra!” (Ps 8:1). With the praise of this psalm, so full of joy and wonder, I greet all of you, dear brothers and sisters. I express my gratitude to their Majesties. I thank Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, as well as my fellow bishops and all those who join us in prayer: priests, deacons and…

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIVTO SPAIN(6-12 JUNE 2026) HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona)Tuesday, 9 June 2026 _______________________________ With great joy I begin my visit by praying Midday Prayer together with you in this Cathedral. The Second Vatican Councildefines the Divine Office as “the voice of the bride herself addressed to her bridegroom” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 84) and “the prayer which Christ himself together with his body addresses to the Father” (ibid.). The reading we have just heard also e…

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIVTO SPAIN(6-12 JUNE 2026) HOLY MASS, PROCESSION AND EUCHARISTIC BLESSINGIN THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST “Plaza de Cibeles” (Madrid)Sunday, 7 June 2026 _______________________________ Your Eminences and Your Excellencies,Dear priests, men, women religious,Your Majesties,Dear brothers and sisters, As I beginmy visit to Spain, it is with a heart filled with joy that I preside over this celebration on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. We are gathered around the Eucharist, the gift of Christ’s living presence among us. He who …