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. He reminds us that proclaiming the Gospel is first and foremost a sharing of a personal encounter with him, which is unique to each of us.

The strength of any apostolate, in fact — beyond techniques and tools — comes from the work of the Holy Spirit within us and from the authenticity of our response. Saint Thomas Aquinas spoke of preaching as passing on to others what we have contemplated: “contemplata aliis tradere” (cf. Summa Theologiae, III, q. 40, a. 1, ad 2).

We must not think that contemplation is an exclusive experience, reserved only for a few saints or for monks and hermits. We can all do it, by striving to set aside, amidst the commitments of our daily lives, quiet moments in which to enter into silence before God, to listen to his voice, to entrust our joys and concerns to him and to review our lives with him. This helps us to have a more firm and conscious faith, and consequently to be credible and free disciples, men and women capable of reflecting the light of the Gospel in every setting and every situation of life, and of bearing witness to it even where its value is not understood or accepted.

Saint Matthew — the author of the biblical passage that we mentioned — wrote for communities whose lives were not easy. They had to face hostility and persecution, as so many Christians still do today in various parts of the world. The temptation to become discouraged and to let weariness or fear get the better of them was great.

Now, just as then, it is a challenge to remain faithful to Jesus’ teachings and to proclaim his word: to respond to hatred with love, to arrogance with meekness, and to discouragement with perseverance. For this reason, we must deepen the roots of our faith and our mission in an intimate relationship with him (cf. Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 8). This gives us the strength not to despair, but to continue to share with everyone, in every circumstance, his message of hope, love and peace. The world greatly needs it!

May the Virgin Mary help us to be missionary disciples of the Lord Jesus, each according to our own vocation.

Dear brothers and sisters,

World Refugee Day, established by the United Nations, was celebrated yesterday on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Convention relating to the status of refugees, which was adopted to protect those who are persecuted and forced to leave their homeland, homes and families. I hope that the spirit that inspired the drafting of this important international instrument may also continue to enlighten the consciences of national leaders today. No one can turn a blind eye to those who are seeking protection and safety. I also urge everyone to welcome those who are victims of persecution so that they may live in peace, with dignity, and look to the future with hope.

I would like to greet the members of the Catholic Pentecostal International Dialogue. “The Church believes as she prays,” and reflecting together on the principle “lex orandi, lex credendi” is particularly relevant nowadays.

I warmly greet all of you, the faithful of Rome and the pilgrims from various countries. 

Thinking of the pilgrims who have come from Brazil, I assure you of my prayers for the young people who died a few days ago in a road accident in the State of Ceará.

I greet the Confirmation candidates from two parishes in Ozieri, Sardinia.

I wish all of you a happy Sunday!

21.06.26

Pope Leo General Audience 17.06.26 

Excerpt below, for the full transcript click on the picture link above

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. And it appeared evident that today in Spain, which has experienced significant social and cultural changes, the Pope was welcomed everywhere with enthusiasm and readiness to listen. For this I give thanks to God and to the entire Spanish people, the King and the civil Authorities, the Bishops and the ecclesial communities.

The people of God gave me great comfort through the joyful expression of their faith and affection. For my part, I confirmed the faithful and, as Bishop of Rome, I encouraged them to overcome every form of division and conflict by always promoting communion, dialogue and unity in diversity. This is the very service of the Successor of Peter, a service which finds a specific expression in Apostolic Journeys, each time adapted to the ecclesial and social situations of the countries visited.

With regard to Spain, I was able to observe with joy that  people of all ages and situations had been looking forward to the Pope’s visit. I found multitudes [of people] everywhere, who welcomed me with great warmth. This was not something that was  taken for granted, and is worthy of reflection. Naturally such participation expresses, first of all, as I said, the faith of the Spanish people. At the same time, I believe it reveals a widespread need to find unity based on a true and deep foundation, one that is neither ideological nor based on partial interests — a foundation which, ultimately, can only be ensured by Christ, and is conveyed in the lives of people by the Gospel, through the necessary “inculturation”.  It can do so because its message fully responds to both these needs: the search for truth and the thirst for justice.

In Madrid and Barcelona, we gathered in the great Cathedral as well as in modern stadiums. We prayed the holy Rosary at the Abbey of Montserrat. We celebrated [Mass] at the Sagrada Família — a majestic symbol, a symphony of stones and light that speaks to everyone of the Christian mystery. This encounter of ancient and modern, Catholic tradition and contemporary culture enabled me to perceive first-hand the very character of Europe, its inestimable wealth, as a living reality, not a thing of the past. It is a heritage to be safeguarded with care, so that it may be invested in today’s global world with its momentous challenges: peace, integral ecology, equitable and sustainable development, and respect for human dignity. They are challenges that the Second Vatican Council had already clearly recognized, and to which the subsequent Magisterium returned, up to my recent Encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which aims to safeguard the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.

Through the various meetings, I sensed a need to hear from the Pope’s voice, the Gospel of hope for today’s humanity, which is sorely tried by the negative consequences of a deceptive model of development. I recognized this need, which found expression in the many testimonies I was able to listen to — testimonies that were sometimes moving, sometimes edifying — also and above all in the faces of the little ones and the poor whom I met:  the child who read his letter to me in the parish;  some victims of abuse, who ask to be heard;  the inmates who were waiting for me in the prison;  the young people filled with anxiety and aspirations;  the migrants in the reception centres in the Canary Islands.

It was precisely there, in the Canary Islands — the final stop of the Journey — that I was offered a comprehensive insight. It was offered to me, on the one hand, by the very geographical location of that archipelago; and, on the other, by the reality of a local Church which welcomes a large number of forced migrants,  mainly from Africa. We know that the   migration phenomenon is complex and requires organic and coordinated action plans. But this interpretation opens up a different, broader perspective: it enables us to understand how we are called to reread the Gospel in today’s world, exchanging the gifts of our respective cultures with each other, and in particular, the results produced in them by the fruitfulness of Christ’s message. And one of these fruits is precisely  dialogue between people and between peoples, an encounter in the spirit of fraternity, which enables us to discover and appreciate one another’s values. This journey is not easy. It requires goodwill and God’s help, but it is the path that leads to the civilization of love.

Dear brothers and sisters, the motto of this Apostolic Journey was “Alzad la mirada”, “Lift up your gaze!” (cf. Jn 4:35).  Jesus addressed these words to his first disciples, to teach them to see the desire for life, truth and fullness in people and in the crowds.  The Lord repeats those words to me first, and by his grace I also experienced them during this Journey. Today, I would like to share this invitation with you: let us lift up our gaze! Let us learn from Jesus to look at our neighbour, at people and at the world, “through God’s eyes”, that is, with love, respect and compassion.

17.06.26

Pope Leo General Audience 17.06.26  

FAMINE

Pope Francis

Hunger

Hunger is an injustice that destroys men and women because they have nothing to eat, even if there is a lot food available in the world. Human exploitation; different forms of slavery; recently I saw a film shot inside a prison where migrants are locked up and tortured to turn them into slaves. This is still happening 70 years after the Declaration of Human Rights. Cultural colonization. This is exactly what the Devil wants, to destroy human dignity – and that is why the Devil is behind all forms of persecution.

01.06.18

Pope Leo Angelus  14.06.26

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. 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 violence that causes strength to fade. He sees the wounds of war and the emptiness of consumerism. He sees faces reduced to masks, families torn apart by evil, and young people misled by false ideals. Jesus sees and loves. He loves and suffers for and with us: his compassion expresses not only fraternal closeness, but his desire to redeem.

For he knows our hearts and cares for us. Looking upon so many people like “sheep without a shepherd” (v. 36), Christ devotes himself to all as the Good Shepherd and, as Lord of the harvest, sends workers into the field of the world (cf. v. 38). What is their task? They must offer God’s comfort to those who suffer by bringing charity where there is misery, hope where there is affliction, faith where there is distrust.

The Gospel lists the names of the first twelve “workers:” they are disciples made apostles, that is, missionaries and preachers. Among them, the first we find is Simon, called Peter. But we also find Judas Iscariot, named last, to remind us that one can follow Jesus and betray him. Even so, the Gospel remains for all a living and true word. The Good News that spans the centuries is the same, always young, fresh, and liberating: “The Kingdom of Heaven has come near!” (Mt 10:7). Yes, it is near because in Jesus Christ, God draws near to every man and woman, to every people and nation. When this Gospel is proclaimed and lived out, evil crumbles like a disease that passes away (cf. v. 8), like a night giving way to dawn, like death conquered by the risen One.

This is how Jesus’ gaze transforms reality. Filled with love, his initiative gives birth to a new people, the Church, called to continue the mission of the apostles: “You received without payment; give without payment” (v. 8). Yes, Jesus’ gift is entirely gratis, for its value exceeds all measure: it is impossible to merit or “buy” it. This grace is the beautiful name of God’s mercy, which seeks us out wherever we are, to draw us to himself. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38)!

Dear friends, the task of evangelization springs from God’s gift, which in Christ becomes forgiveness for the world, service to the least and the poor, and a commitment to justice. Let us invoke the help of the Virgin Mary, full of grace, so that we may respond with joy and courage to the mission to which Jesus calls us.

Dear brothers and sisters,

First of all, I express my gratitude to the Lord for the Apostolic Journey he has allowed me to undertake in Spain. I also thank the Spanish people who have welcomed me with great enthusiasm and devotion. I am especially grateful to His Majesty the King; I affectionately thank the Bishops, all the communities I visited and the entire Church in Spain. Que Dios bendiga siempre a España!

I would also like to recall some of the newly beatified: the diocesan priests Václav Drbola and Jan Bula, from Moravia; and Jan Šwierc and eight companions, Polish Salesian priests. All were beatified as martyrs, as victims of the persecution by totalitarian regimes because of their fidelity to Christ. Yesterday in Mato Grosso, Brazil, Nazareno Lanciotti, a Roman missionary priest, was also beatified; he too was a martyr, for he defended the poorest in the name of the Gospel. May the example and intercession of these courageous witnesses sustain the mission of priests and of the entire Church.

I assure the people of the Philippines, struck a few days ago by a powerful earthquake, of my closeness. I pray for the deceased and their families, for the wounded and for all those suffering because of this disaster.

And now I extend my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims from various countries!

I greet the members of the International Commission for Dialogue between the Disciples of Christ and the Catholic Church. May your reflections help us to grow in communion.

I greet the pilgrims from the United States of America, in particular the faithful from New Jersey and the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida. I greet the confirmands from Bergamo, the “Casa di Maria” Community — whom Pope Francis called “the children of the Immaculate”— and the parish groups from Santa Maria delle Grazie and Santa Francesca Cabrini in Rome.

I wish all of you a happy Sunday!

14.06.26

Pope Leo Angelus  14.06.26  

Pope Leo Holy Mass, Santa Cruz de Tenerife  12.06.26

Apostolic Journey to Spain  

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

How do we receive the Word of God? The response is clear: As one receives Jesus Christ. The Church tells us that Jesus is present in the Scripture, in His Word.

Always carry a small Gospel with you in your purse, in your pocket, and read a passage from the Gospel during the day. Not so much to learn something, but mostly to find Jesus, because Jesus actually is in His Word, in His Gospel.  Every time I read the Gospel, I find Jesus.  - Pope Francis 01.09.14

Daily Readings - read the entire New Testament over a 2 year period (reading plan courtesy of Gideon International)

The Bible Online

Thank you, Francis

Every month, you have invited us to pray with you for the challenges of humanity and the mission of the Church, teaching us to learn compassion for others from the heart of Christ. Thank you, Francis, for your life and your witness.

Your Worldwide Prayer Network.

Pope Francis Easter Message and Urbi et Orbi Blessing   20.04.25

Easter Sunday

for the full transcript click on the picture link above

Pope Francis

Care for Our Common Home 

- Laudato Si'

Pope Francis 

Refugees and Migrants

Pope Francis

 Marriage

Pope Francis - The ‘foreverness’ and beauty of Love 

Pope Francis - The Family in the Light of the Word of God

Pope Francis 

Fraternity

Pope Francis

Compassion

Pope Francis

Happiness

Pope Leo Holy Mass Santa Cruz de Tenerife 12.06.26  

Apostolic Journey to Spain 

Pope Francis Message for the 58th World Day of Peace 01.01.25