St Peter's SquareSunday, 14 June 2026 ___________________________________ Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Sunday! Today’s Gospel (Mt9:36–10:8) 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. 36). Having become our brother, the Son of God looks at the people, he looks at humanity: he sees the oppression that burdens and the …

Audience HallWednesday, 7 January 2026 ___________________________________ Catechesis. Vatican Council II through its Documents. Introductory catechesis Brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! After theJubilee Year, during which we focused on the mysteries of the life of Jesus, we will begin a new cycle of catechesis which will be dedicated toVatican Council IIand a rereading of its Documents. It is a valuable opportunity to rediscover the beauty and the importance of this ecclesial event.Saint John Paul II, at the end of theJubilee 2000, stated: “I feel more than ever in duty bo…

Audience HallWednesday, 14 January 2026 ___________________________________ Catechesis. The Documents of Vatican Council II. I. Dogmatic ConstitutionDei Verbum. 1. God speaks to men as to friends(Reading:Jn15:15) Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! We have started the cycle of catechesis on Vatican Council II. Today we will begin to look more closely at the Dogmatic ConstitutionDei Verbum, on the divine Revelation. It is one of the most beautiful and important of the Council and, to introduce it, it may be helpful to recall the words of Jesus: “No longer do I call you se…

Audience HallWednesday, 28 January 2026 ___________________________________ Catechesis. The Documents of Vatican Council II. I. Dogmatic ConstitutionDei Verbum. 3. A single sacred deposit. The relationship between Scripture and Tradition. Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! Continuing our reading of the Conciliar ConstitutionDei Verbumon Divine Revelation, today we will reflect on the relationship between Sacred Scripture and Tradition. We can take two Gospel scenes as a backdrop. In the first, which takes place in the Upper Room, Jesus, in his great discourse-testament ad…

Audience HallWednesday, 21 January 2026 ___________________________________ Catechesis. The Documents of Vatican Council II. I. Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum.2. Jesus Christ reveals the Father. Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! We will continue the catecheses on the Dogmatic ConstitutionDei Verbum, ofVatican Council II, on divine Revelation.We have seen thatGod reveals himself in a dialogue of covenant, in which he addresses us as friends. It is therefore arelationalknowledge, which not only communicates ideas, but shares a history and calls for communion in reciproci…

St Peter's SquareWednesday, 18 February 2026 ___________________________________ Catechesis. The Documents of Vatican Council II. II. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium.1. The mystery of the Church, sacrament of the union with God, and the unity of all humanity Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! When theSecond Vatican Council, whose documents are the focus of our [series of] catecheses, wanted to describe the Church, it was concerned first and foremost with explaining where her origins lie. In order to do so, in the Dogmatic ConstitutionLumen gentium, approved on 21 Nove…

Audience HallWednesday, 11 February 2026 ___________________________________ Catechesis. The Documents of Vatican Council II. I. Dogmatic ConstitutionDei Verbum5.The Word of God in the life of the Church Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! In today’s catechesis we will look at the profound and vital link that exists between the Word of God and the Church, a bond expressed by the Conciliar ConstitutionDei Verbum, in the sixth chapter. The Church is the rightful home of Sacred Scripture. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Bible arose from the people of God, and …

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! The Conciliar ConstitutionDei Verbum, on which we are reflecting during these weeks, indicates in the Sacred Scripture, read in the living Tradition of the Church, a privileged space for encounter where God continues to speak to the men and women of every time, so that, by listening, they can know him and love him. The biblical texts, however, were not written in a heavenly or superhuman language. Indeed, as daily life teaches us, two people who speak different languages cannot understand each other, cannot enter into dialogue, and are unab…

St Peter's SquareWednesday, 11 March 2026 Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! Continuing in our reflection on the Dogmatic ConstitutionLumen gentium(LG), today we will look at the second chapter, dedicated to the People of God. God, who created the world and humanity, and who wishes to save every man, carries out his work of salvation in history, choosing a real people and dwelling among them. For this reason, He calls Abraham and promises him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore (cf.Gen22:17-18). With Abraham’s children, after free…

St Peter's SquareWednesday, 4 March 2026 ___________________________________ Catechesis. The Documents of Vatican Council II. II. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium.2. The Church, a Visible and Spiritual Reality Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! Today, we will continue our exploration of the Conciliar ConstitutionLumen gentium, a dogmatic Constitution on the Church. In the first chapter, which is primarily intended to answer the question of what the Church is, she is described as a “complex reality” (no. 8). Now we ask ourselves: what does this complexity consist o…

St Peter's SquareWednesday, 18 March 2026 Catechesis. The Documents of Vatican Council II. II. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium.4. The Church, a Priestly and Prophetic People Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! Today I would like to revisit the second chapter of the Conciliar ConstitutionLumen gentium(LG), devoted to the Church as the people of God. The messianic people (LG, 9), receive from Christ the participation in the priestly, prophetic and kingly work office through which his salvific mission is carried out. The Council Fathers teach that the Lord Jesus, through …

Saint Peter's SquareWednesday, 1stApril 2026 Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. II. Dogmatic ConstitutionLumen gentium. 6.Living stones in the Church and witnesses in the world: the laity in the People of God" Brothers and sisters, good morning! Let us continue on our path of reflection on the Church as she is presented to us in the Conciliar ConstitutionLumen gentium(LG). Today we will look at the fourth chapter, which deals with the laity. Let us all remember whatPope Francisliked to repeat: “Lay people are, put simply, the vast majority of the people of God. The m…

St Peter's SquareWednesday, 25 March 2026 Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. II. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium.5. On the foundation of the Apostles. The Church in her hierarchical dimension" Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! We will continue our catecheses on theDocuments of the Second Vatican Council, commenting on the Dogmatic ConstitutionLumen gentiumon the Church (LG). After presenting her as the People of God, today we will consider her hierarchical form. The Catholic Church is founded on the Apostles, whom Christ appointed as the living …

Saint Peter's SquareWednesday,8 April 2026 The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. II. Dogmatic ConstitutionLumen gentium. 7.Holiness and evangelical counsels in the Church Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! The Constitution of theSecond Vatican CouncilLumen 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 g…

Saint Peter's SquareWednesday, 29 April 2026 The Apostolic Journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! Today I would like to talk about the Apostolic Journey I made from 13 to 23 April,visiting four African countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. Since the very beginning of my Pontificate, I have thought about a journey in Africa. I thank the Lord for granting me the opportunity to undertake it, as Shepherd, to meet and encourage the people of God; and also to experience it as a message of peace at a mo…

Saint Peter's SquareWednesday, 6 May 2026 Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. II. Dogmatic ConstitutionLumen gentium.8. The Church, pilgrim in history towards the heavenly homeland Brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! As we focus today on a section of Chapter VII of theSecond Vatican Council’s Constitutionon the Church, let us reflect on one of its defining characteristics: itseschatological dimension. The Church, in fact, journeys through this earthly history always looking towards her final destination, which is the heavenly homeland. This is an essential…

Saint Peter's SquareWednesday, 27 May 2026 Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. III. ConstitutionSacrosanctum Concilium.2.The reform of the liturgy: tradition and development Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! In the EncyclicalMediator Dei, theVenerable Pius XIIwrites that “the Church is without question a living organism, and as an organism, in respect of the sacred liturgy also, she grows, matures, develops, adapts and accommodates herself to temporal needs and circumstances, provided only that the integrity of her doctrine be safeguarded” (no. 59…

Saint Peter's SquareWednesday, 20 May 2026 Initial Greeting of the Holy Father to His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you. Brothers and sisters, I am very happy to welcome His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, together with the distinguished delegation accompanying him. This fraternal visit represents an important opportunity to strengthen the bonds of unity that already exist between us, as we move towards full communion between our Churches. Your Holiness, in the…

Saint Peter's SquareWednesday, 13 May 2026 Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. II. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium.9. The Virgin Mary, model of the Church Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! The Second Vatican Councilchose to dedicate the last chapter of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church to the Virgin Mary (cf.Lumen gentium, 52-69). She “is hailed as a pre-eminent and singular member of the Church, and as its type and excellent example in faith and charity” (LG, 53). These words invite us to understand how in Mary, who under the action of …

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIVTO SPAIN(6-12 JUNE 2026) HOLY MASSSOLEMNITY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS HOMILY HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV The Port of Santa Cruz de TenerifeFriday, 12 June 2026 _______________________________ It is a blessing to come together on this day when the Heart of Jesus reveals itself to us as the heart of history.  I am happy to celebrate the Eucharist with you, giving thanks for the abundant witnesses of faith and charity I have experienced on this Apostolic Journey.  This is what makes the archipelago, so well known for its beauty and hospitality, …