VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Meeting his former colleagues and co-workers and acknowledging how many of them spent many more years working at the Vatican than he did, Pope Leo XIV underlined the important role Vatican employees play in his ministry.

"Popes pass away, but the Curia remains," he said May 24.

When the laughter and applause died down, Pope Leo explained that he was serious. In a diocese or at the Vatican, the chancery or Curia "is the institution that preserves and transmits the historic memory of a church, of the ministry of its bishops."

"This is very important," he told officials and employees of the Roman Curia, Vatican City State and the Vicariate of Rome. "Memory is an essential element in a living organism. It is not only turned toward the past, but it nourishes the present and guides the future. Without memory, the journey is lost, it loses its sense of direction." 

Pope Leo XIV was welcomed to the Vatican audience hall with an ovation that went so long that he jokingly warned the employees and their family members that if the applause lasted longer than the remarks he had prepared, he would have to add to his speech.

In the end, he spent as much time shaking hands, blessing babies and rosaries and chatting with children who offered him drawings as he did reading his text.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported May 23 that Pope Leo also approved the traditional employee bonus for the beginning of a new pontificate. The agency said each employee received 500 euros (about $570).

In the days since his election May 8, the pope has been meeting with the prefects and other heads of Vatican offices. The day after his election he temporarily reappointed all the top Vatican officials; the Vatican press office said that he "wishes to set aside some time for reflection, prayer and dialogue before any final appointment or confirmation is made."

"As you know," Pope Leo told the gathering May 24, "I arrived only two years ago, when our beloved Pope Francis appointed me prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. So, I left the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, and came to work here. What a change!" 

"And now -- what can I say? Only what Simon Peter said to Jesus on Lake Tiberias: 'Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you,'" he said.

Pope Leo also strongly reaffirmed Pope Francis' reorganization of the Roman Curia with an emphasis on the offices being missionary and supporting the missionary activity of every bishop, diocese and Catholic in the world.

"As I think you know, the mission experience is part of my life, and not only as a baptized person, as for all of us Christians, but because as an Augustinian religious I was a missionary in Peru," he said, "and in the midst of the Peruvian people my pastoral vocation matured. I cannot thank the Lord enough for this gift." 

"Then, the call to serve the church here in the Roman Curia has been a new mission, which I have shared with you these past two years," he said. "I am still continuing and will continue it, as long as God wills, in this service that has been entrusted to me."

"Together, we must look for ways to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges and encourages dialogue, a church ever-open to welcoming ... with open arms, all those who are in need of our charity, our presence, our readiness to dialogue and our love," he said, quoting his first speech to the public the evening of his election.

Vatican employees, he said, are called to support him and the entire church in the mission of "being at the service of communion and unity in charity and truth."
 

ROME (CNS) -- Celebrating his first Mass in Rome's diocesan cathedral, Pope Leo XIV said communion is built primarily "on our knees," through prayer and a constant commitment to conversion.

He reaffirmed Pope Francis' dedication to listening, first and foremost to the Holy Spirit, as it then leads to listening to and understanding others "as our brothers and sisters."

The pope's remarks came during his homily at Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where he took possession of the cathedral as the bishop of Rome May 25. 

The pope arrived in the late afternoon to the cheers and applause of those who turned out to welcome the U.S.-born pontiff as he stepped out of the black Volkswagen SUV in front of the basilica. He smiled and waved to those outside before being greeted by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, papal vicar for Rome, and then he walked through the basilica's Holy Door.

At the start of the liturgy, Cardinal Reina read a profession of obedience to the pope on behalf of the diocese and then the pope sat on the raised marble chair in the basilica's apse, taking formal possession of the "cathedra" (chair) of the bishop of Rome. He then received representatives of his flock, including clergy and laypeople.

The pope dedicated his homily to the Mass readings, putting special emphasis on the importance of listening.

The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (15:1-2, 22-29), described Paul and Barnabas recognizing the authority of the Jerusalem church and going there to settle the question of whether Gentiles could embrace a form of Christianity that did not include observing every aspect of Mosaic law.

"This was no easy matter; it called for much patience and mutual listening," and Peter and the apostles in Jerusalem were prepared to listen, Pope Leo said. 

That dialogue "led to the right decision," he said, because they listened to God's voice.

"In this way, they remind us that communion is built primarily 'on our knees,' through prayer and constant commitment to conversion. For only in this way can each of us hear within the voice of the Spirit crying out: 'Abba! Father!' and then, as a result, listen to and understand others as our brothers and sisters," he said.

"Naturally, the more we let ourselves be convinced and transformed by the Gospel -- allowing the power of the Spirit to purify our heart, to make our words straightforward, our desires honest and clear, and our actions generous -- the more capable we are of proclaiming its message," the pope said.

In fact, he said, "the Gospel assures us that we are not alone in making our decisions in life. The Spirit sustains us and shows us the way to follow, 'teaching' us and 'reminding' us of all that Jesus said."

"Pope Francis frequently encouraged us to reflect on the maternal dimension of the church and her defining qualities of tenderness, self-sacrifice and the capacity to listen," he said.

"We hope that those qualities will be increasingly present in the people of God everywhere, including here, in our great diocesan family: in the faithful, in pastors and, first of all, in myself," Pope Leo said.

He encouraged the Diocese of Rome's "process of listening" to the world and its communities to respond to current challenges and "to propose sage and prophetic initiatives of evangelization and charity."

"I would like to express my firm desire to contribute to this great ongoing process by listening to everyone as much as possible, in order to learn, understand and decide things together, as St. Augustine would say, 'as a Christian with you and a bishop for you,'" Pope Leo said.

He asked everyone to support him "in prayer and charity, mindful of the words of St. Leo the Great: 'All the good we do in the exercise of our ministry is the work of Christ and not our own, for we can do nothing without him.'"

He expressed his love and affection for the faithful of Rome "and my desire to share with you, on our journey together, our joys and sorrows, our struggles and hopes. I too offer you 'the little I have and am.'" 

Following the Mass, the pope appeared at the balcony of the basilica, where he briefly addressed a large crowd of people, wishing them as he did the afternoon of his election May 8, "Peace be with you."

The Holy Year dedicated to hope, he said, encourages the faithful to be living witnesses of Christ's hope to the world, "a world that is suffering a lot" because of war, violence and poverty.

"Thank you for walking together," he said, "Let us all walk together." 

The pope then got in an open popemobile and headed to the patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major where he venerated the "Salus Populi Romani," ("Salvation of the Roman People"), a Marian icon in a side chapel.

After the prayers and final blessing, he stood and prayed at the tomb of his predecessor, Pope Francis, upon which lay a single white rose.

Pope Leo then spoke to the people gathered outside the basilica, thanking them "from my heart" for their presence to be with their new bishop, "united as members of the Diocese of Rome."

Before going to St. John Lateran for the Mass, Pope Leo also met with Rome's mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, in a brief ceremony at the bottom of the steps below city hall. 

Pope Leo said he felt the "serious but enthusiastic responsibility of serving all members" of the Diocese of Rome, "having at heart, above all, the faith of the people of God and, therefore, the common good of society."

"We are partners, each in its own institutional setting," he said. And yet, as he was about to take possession of the city's cathedral, "Today I can say for you and with you, I am Roman," which was met with great applause.

Also May 25, the pope led a crowd in St. Peter's Square in praying the "Regina Coeli" at noon. 

Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope said, "Let us resolve to bring (the Lord's) love everywhere, never forgetting that each of our sisters and brothers is a dwelling place of God and that his presence is manifested above all in the little ones, in the poor and the suffering, who ask us to be thoughtful and compassionate Christians."

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Pope Leo XIV takes possession of Rome's cathedral

In a multi-stop visit through the heart of Rome May 25, 2025, Pope Leo XIV formally took possession of the Cathedral of Rome, the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran.

WASHINGTON – “With hearts burdened by sorrow and a renewed commitment to solidarity, we express profound grief and outrage at the shooting that occurred outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington,” said Bishop Joseph C. Bambera and Archbishop Borys Gudziak. 

Bishop Bambera, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and Archbishop Gudziak, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development offered their prayers in response to the May 21 shooting.

“We stand in prayerful mourning with our Jewish brothers and sisters and denounce this act of violence and antisemitic hatred in the strongest possible terms. As Catholics, we are called not only to reject such hatred, but to actively foster mutual understanding, respect, and solidarity with the Jewish people. With urgency and clarity, we renew the commitment made through the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate to affirm our common patrimony with the Jews and stand against any and all forms of antisemitism.

“The suffering generated by this senseless and violent action against the Jewish community wounds us all and compels us toward renewed vigilance and action. In this moment, we also acknowledge the grave responsibility we all share in the language we use, especially when speaking about the conflict in the Holy Land. Complex political realities can never justify rhetoric that demonizes a people, faith, or community. Harsh or dehumanizing language, even when unintended, can sow seeds of suspicion and fear, which too easily bear the fruit of violence. In our public discourse, as in our prayers, we must choose the path of truth spoken in love (Ephesians 4:15), never allowing geopolitical tensions to justify antisemitism or any form of hatred.

“To our Jewish neighbors, partners and friends: We walk with you. We grieve with you. We stand with you. May the God of justice and peace comfort the wounded, strengthen the fearful, and bring healing to all affected by this violence. Let us together be instruments of peace, as we heed the words of the prophet Micah: ‘Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.’”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis, who took his name from the patron saint of ecology -- St. Francis of Assisi -- died the day before Earth Day and about five weeks before the 10th anniversary of his landmark encyclical on care for creation.

Dated May 24, the solemnity of Pentecost in 2015, the document, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home," presented the core of his teachings on integral ecology, its principles and practical applications.

Integral ecology recognizes the interconnectedness and interdependence between human beings and the earth, he said, and how the values, mindsets and actions of people affect all human endeavors and the planet.

Pope Francis insisted social, economic, political and environmental issues are not separate problems, but are the many dimensions of one overarching crisis. The flora and fauna, the heavens and seas and all human beings are not objects to be used and controlled, but are wondrous reflections of the divine; they are God's creations and are gifts to be protected, loved and shared. 

It was the first papal encyclical on the environment; however, it came out of a long theological tradition that sees the natural world as a form of divine revelation that "must also lead us to rediscover our fraternity with the earth, to which we have been linked since creation," as St. John Paul II said.

Pope Francis "built on 'integral human development' from Benedict XVI and 'human ecology' from John Paul II," Celia Deane-Drummond, director of the Laudato Si' Research Institute at Campion Hall at England's Oxford University, told Catholic News Service in late April.

So while his 2015 document "wasn't dropping out of the sky," she said, there was a notable "change of tone and a change of emphasis and a much greater stress on dialogue with people from other traditions and openness to the world."

Laudato Si' also showed "a pastoral heart" with a clear awareness of the suffering of people and the world "that we need to incorporate in how we live and act as Christians," Deane-Drummond said.

Pope Francis, with his long experience in the global South, also brought a unique perspective that propelled him to embrace the topic of environmentalism, which had been "marginalized as a fringe concern of the left," and to link it with social justice, Erin Lothes, a theologian and climate educator, told Catholic News Service in late April.

"His own conversion to ecology, I believe, is born out of the soil of Latin America and him being a pope for the poor," who saw the impact ecological crises had on the people there, said Lothes, who is a visiting scholar at the Center for Earth Ethics in New York and an "ecclesial affiliate" at the Laudato Si' Research Institute.

Many of the main themes of his pontificate, including the need to address the looming ecological crisis can be found in the 2007 Aparecida document then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires helped draft with bishops from Latin America in Aparecida, Brazil -- the home of the Amazon and the "lungs" of the Earth. 

"We can see the seeds of Laudato Si' in Aparecida," Lothes said, including the need for an "alternate development model, a new ethic based on justice and solidarity and attention to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. I think that was very influential and that led him to focus" on the issue in a major papal document.

At the same time, she said, "the global world was seeing more ecological crises," and many in civil society were pushing for action, especially at international conferences sponsored by the United Nations, showing "there was that readiness for these seeds of his teaching to take root."

With Laudato Si', Deane-Drummond said, Pope Francis "appealed to the world in a way that was incredibly ambitious," and, consequently, the encyclical had an "astonishing" influence on the world of science.

Deane-Drummond first worked as a scientist and then as a theologian, and she has been connecting ecology and theology since the late 1980s. She said she knew scientists and others who had never read an encyclical before, "but they read Laudato Si'." An article about Laudato Si' in one biological journal garnered "more hits that year than any other article."

"I've really never seen anything quite like it," she said. "Suddenly he's blown open Catholic social teaching to the globe and in a remarkable kind of way that's completely fearless."

Also, "it wasn't a passive recipient document," Deane-Drummond said, since it fostered networking and action on multiple levels.

The encyclical even influenced the U.N. Climate Change Conference that was held several months later, and the resulting Paris Agreement "may not have happened if he hadn't released it then," she said. 

Eight years later, on St. Francis of Assisi's feast day, Pope Francis released a follow-up document, "Laudate Deum" ("Praise God"), ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates. The exhortation presented an even stronger critique of global inaction and indifference to climate change.

Deane-Drummond said it wasn't because Laudato Si' was not enough or had gaps to fill. Laudate Deum was "much more blunt in terms of telling people what they need to do and also pointing the finger, really, at Catholics and others who still denied climate change."

"It was as if the message of Laudato Si' hadn't been absorbed sufficiently and it was another cry of anguish," as well as "saying what needed to happen in Dubai … in a way that wasn't quite as clear in Laudato Si'," she said.

Both Deane-Drummond and Lothes believe the message and appeals of Laudato Si' are here to stay and did not die with Pope Francis' death April 21.

"I think it's a little bit like Vatican II," Deane-Drummond said. Even if some people in the church have tried to push back against Vatican II, the council made changes "that are irreversible."

"It's similar with Laudato Si'. Those changes have come in; they're part of Catholic social thought," she said.

Lothes said, "I think it's absolutely embedded in the global church" so that "this mission will go forward and flourish," especially with so many initiatives and institutions supporting it.

"And in those places where that conversion is still ongoing," she said, "I believe that the people of God know that we are facing an ecological crisis and are looking for that guidance, and they sense the dissonance when we are not bringing it into our liturgical life, our catechetical life, our ethical life." 

In his two weeks as pope, Pope Leo XIV repeatedly has mentioned the same themes of climate change, exploitation of the poor and of Earth's resources, and the importance of protecting the planet.

Lothes said the only thing missing in Laudato Si' and Laudate Deum is "a clear guide" for how everyone can concretely live out their message.

Pope Francis "invited us, in a very beautiful and spiritual way to ecological conversion, to proclaim and live the Gospel of creation," and to respond immediately "via governmental action, via policy responses, via our civic and consumer life to the scale of the crisis because our responses have not been adequate."

"What's needed now for the person in the pews is a clear expression of what each of us absolutely needs to do: A sort of 'Ten Commandments' for care of creation," she said.

"We have the intellectual message, we have the spiritual message," Lothes said. "Now we need to break it down for the life of the church and I think that's what the next wave of magisterial teaching can really offer to allow this seed and the beautiful tree of Laudato Si' to just reforest throughout the world."

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Recognizing themselves as members of the one body of Christ, all Catholics should sense an urgency to share the Gospel message of God's love with others and to welcome them as brothers and sisters, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Our world, wounded by war, violence and injustice, needs to hear the Gospel message of God's love and to experience the reconciling power of Christ's grace," the pope said May 22 as he met more than 120 national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

Working in coordination with the Dicastery for Evangelization, the societies are: the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of St. Peter Apostle, the Holy Childhood Association and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious.

The societies raise awareness about the foreign missions, educate Catholics of all ages about their responsibility to be missionary disciples and raise money to support the missions and missionaries. 

The work of the societies "is indispensable to the church's mission of evangelization, as I can personally attest from my own pastoral experience in the years of my ministry serving in Peru," said the pope, who spent more than two decades in Peru as a missionary and a bishop.

Raising missionary awareness among all Catholics and helping them take responsibility for sharing the Gospel "remains an essential aspect of the church's renewal as envisioned by the Second Vatican Council," the pope said, and it is "all the more urgent in our own day."

"We are to bring to all peoples, indeed to all creatures, the Gospel promise of true and lasting peace, which is possible because, in the words of Pope Francis, the Lord has overcome the world and its constant conflict 'by making peace through the blood of his cross,'" he said.

Recognizing "our communion as members of the body of Christ naturally opens us to the universal dimension of the church's mission of evangelization," he said, and it should inspire Catholics "to transcend the confines of our individual parishes, dioceses and nations, in order to share with every nation and people the surpassing richness of the knowledge of Jesus Christ."

Pope Leo asked the national directors "to give priority to visiting dioceses, parishes and communities, and in this way to help the faithful to recognize the fundamental importance of the missions and supporting our brothers and sisters in those areas of our world where the church is young and growing." 

And he asked them to focus on cultivating and promoting "the vision of the church as the communion of believers, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, who enables us to enter into the perfect communion and harmony of the blessed Trinity."

"Indeed, it is in the Trinity that all things find their unity," the pope told them.

"This dimension of our Christian life and mission is close to my heart and is reflected in the words of St. Augustine that I chose for my episcopal service and now for my papal ministry: 'In Illo uno unum' ('In the One (Christ), we are one')," the pope said.

"Christ is our savior and in him we are one, a family of God, beyond the rich variety of our languages, cultures and experiences," Pope Leo said.
 

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Most Reverend Michael Pham, auxiliary bishop of San Diego and diocesan administrator, as the Bishop of San Diego.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on May 22, 2025, by Monsignor Većeslav Tumir, chargé d’ affaires, a.i. of the Apostolic Nunciature, in the temporary absence of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Pham’s biography may be found here.

The Diocese of San Diego is comprised of 8,852 square miles in the State of California and has a total population of 3,454,921 of which 1,381,968, are Catholic.

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WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Congress considers the draft text of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” in the budget reconciliation process, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), encouraged lawmakers to uphold human life and dignity and the common good.

“My brother bishops have sent a comprehensive letter to Congress commending parts of the budget proposal that will support human life and dignity, while also strongly encouraging them to reconsider provisions that will harm the poor and disadvantaged, our immigrant brothers and sisters, and our environment. To our elected lawmakers, I echo the call of my brother bishops and urge you to remain consistent in protecting human life and dignity and supporting the common good so that families can flourish. I also underscore the grave concerns expressed by my brother bishops and implore you to address the real and substantial harms that would result from provisions in this bill before it advances further. Raising income taxes on the working poor, cutting nutrition and healthcare programs for those most in need, and eliminating investments in environmental stewardship would place a terrible burden on the least of our brothers and sisters,” said Archbishop Broglio.

The USCCB’s letter on the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as currently proposed in the House of Representatives, may be found here.

The USCCB, Catholic Health Association, and Catholic Charities USA letter on Medicaid in budget reconciliation may be found here.

The USCCB’s principles letter on family flourishing and budget reconciliation may be found here.

A USCCB chairmen’s letter on defunding the abortion and “gender transition” industries in budget reconciliation may be found here.

The faithful are encouraged to write to their elected members of Congress on these issues here.

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WASHINGTON – “You have the capacity to organize and create change that will endure for generations to come,” said Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan in a joint letter to young people, written during the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’.

In the letter, the bishops recognize the impact the climate crisis has on young people and applaud their strong witness for a better future. “Young people can lead the way as catalysts of hope... We are with you, standing in the tension between God’s vision for his beloved creation and our current reality.”

The full letter to young people is available here.

Archbishop Gudziak is chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. Bishop Zaidan is chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Gospel parable of the "wasteful sower" who casts seeds on fertile soil as well as on a rocky path "is an image of the way God loves us," Pope Leo XIV told visitors and pilgrims at his first weekly general audience.

The parable can strike people as odd because "we are used to calculating things -- and at times it is necessary -- but this does not apply in love," the pope told an estimated 40,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square May 21.

Pope Leo read his full prepared text in Italian and also read the summaries of the talk in English and in Spanish.

At the end of the audience, Pope Leo drew attention to ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and its limitations on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the area.

"The situation in Gaza is increasingly worrying and agonizing," he said. "I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid and to end the hostilities, the heartbreaking price of which is being paid by children, the elderly and the sick."

The pope also told the crowd that he could not conclude the gathering without remembering "our beloved Pope Francis, who exactly one month ago returned to the house of our Father."

It had been more than three months since the Vatican hosted a weekly general audience; Pope Francis met pilgrims and visitors Feb. 12 and was hospitalized two days later. He died April 21. 

Mercy Sister Maria Juan Anderson, coordinator of the Bishops' Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican, which is housed in the Casa Santa Maria of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, told Catholic News Service that the office distributed 1,800 free tickets to the pope's first audience -- "a record!"

"We had eight priests hearing confessions for two and a half hours" as visitors came to collect their tickets May 20 and get information about the audience, the Vatican and the new pope, she said.

Pope Leo arrived in the popemobile for the audience, riding through the crowd in St. Peter's Square and stopping often to bless infants, tracing the sign of the cross on their foreheads.

The pope began his audience explaining he would continue the series of talks his predecessor had begun on the Jubilee-related theme, "Jesus Christ Our Hope."

Focusing specifically on the parable of the sower from the Gospel of Matthew 13:1-17, Pope Leo said Jesus' parables were stories "taken from everyday life" but meant to lead listeners "to a deeper meaning." 

The parable of the sower, he said, is about "the dynamic of the word of God and the effects it produces. Indeed, every word of the Gospel is like a seed that is thrown on the ground of our life."

The soil where the seed in the parable lands "is our heart, but it is also the world, the community, the church," he said. "The word of God, in fact, makes fruitful and provokes every reality."

What happens to the seed depends on the quality of the earth it lands on, he said.

"But first and foremost, in this parable Jesus tells us that God throws the seed of his word on all kinds of soil, that is, in any situation of ours," the pope said. "At times we are more superficial and distracted; at times we let ourselves get carried away by enthusiasm; sometimes we are burdened by life's worries, but there are also times when we are willing and welcoming."

"God is confident and hopes that sooner or later the seed will blossom," Pope Leo said. "This is how he loves us: he does not wait for us to become the best soil, but he always generously gives us his word."

When people see how God loves and trusts them, the pope said, it should encourage them to be "better soil."

Pope Leo urged people to ask God for the grace to welcome his word in their lives, "and if we realize we are not a fruitful soil, let us not be discouraged, but let us ask him to work on us more to make us become a better terrain."
 

Pope Leo teaches in English at general audience

A look at Pope Leo XIV's English catechesis at his first general audience May 21.

ROME (CNS) -- God's love, mercy and goodness lie at the foundation of every vocation, including that of the pope, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Let us ask the Lord for the grace to cultivate and spread his charity and to become true neighbors to one another," he said, paraphrasing his predecessor, Pope Francis, in a homily at Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls May 20.

"Let us compete in showing the love that, following (St. Paul's) encounter with Christ, drove the former persecutor to become 'all things to all people,' even to the point of martyrdom," he said.

The pope visited the basilica and tomb of St. Paul two days after the Mass for the inauguration of his Petrine ministry in St. Peter's Square. It was part of a series of visits to the city's major papal basilicas after his election.

People cheered and applauded as he entered the basilica, and he blessed the crowds. He walked to the steps descending to the apostle's tomb where he knelt briefly in silent prayer. 

The prayer service was dedicated to St. Paul, the so-called "Apostle to the Gentiles" who brought the Gospel to peoples across the central and eastern Mediterranean, exemplifying evangelical zeal and the missionary spirit. The visit was part of entrusting "the beginning of this new pontificate to the intercession of the apostle," the pope said.

Pope Leo's homily reflected on a reading chosen from the opening of Paul's Letter to the Romans, where the apostle expresses his complete allegiance to the Lord and his faith in God's justifying action in Jesus.

St. Paul received the grace of his vocation from God, acknowledging "that his encounter with Christ and his own ministry were the fruit of God's prior love, which called him to a new life while he was still far from the Gospel and persecuting the church," the pope said.

St. Augustine also was a convert who experienced choosing God after having realized God had chosen him first, he said. "We cannot love unless someone has loved us first." 

In fact, "at the root of every vocation, God is present, in his mercy and his goodness, as generous as that of a mother who nourishes her child with her own body for as long as the child is unable to feed itself," he said, quoting from the saint who founded the religious order he joined in his 20s.

When St. Paul speaks of "the obedience of faith," he said, he is referring to what happened to him on the road to Damascus, when the Lord appeared and "did not take away his freedom, but gave him the opportunity to make a decision, to choose an obedience that would prove costly and entail interior and exterior struggles, which Paul proved willing to face."

"Salvation does not come about by magic, but by a mysterious interplay of grace and faith, of God's prevenient love and of our trusting and free acceptance," he said.

Quoting from Pope Benedict XVI's 2011 address to young people, Pope Leo said, "'God loves us. This is the great truth of our life; it is what makes everything else meaningful.' Indeed, 'our life originates as part of a loving plan of God.'"

"Faith leads us to 'open our hearts to this mystery of love and to live as men and women conscious of being loved by God,'" he continued.

"Here we see, in all its simplicity and uniqueness, the basis of every mission, including my own mission as the successor of Peter and the heir to Paul's apostolic zeal. May the Lord grant me the grace to respond faithfully to his call," he said. 

After praying before the altar above the apostle's tomb, Pope Leo concluded the service and processed out the basilica, again to applause, blessing those present and making the sign of the cross on the foreheads of several babies.

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Reporting by CNS Rome is made possible by the Catholic Communication Campaign. Give to the CCC special collection in your diocese May 31-June 1 or any time at: https://bit.ly/CCC-give

Pope Leo XIV visits tomb of St. Paul

Pope Francis entered Saint Paul’s Basilica through the Holy Door, opening a prayer service at St. Paul's tomb May 20, 2025.