Pope Francis Homilies

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Matthew Mark Luke John The Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Tobit Judith Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes The Song of Songs The Book of Wisdom Sirach Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Baruch Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

Pope Leo Angelus 22.02.26

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

Today, on the First Sunday of Lent, the Gospel tells us about Jesus who, led by the Spirit, enters the desert and is tempted by the devil (cf. Mt 4:1–11). After fasting for forty days, he feels the weight of his humanity: physically, through hunger, and morally, through the devil’s temptations. In this, he experiences the same struggle we all face on our journey. By resisting the evil one, he demonstrates how we, too, can overcome the devil’s deception and snares.

Through this Word of life, the liturgy invites us to view Lent as a luminous path. By means of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we can renew our cooperation with the Lord in the crafting of our lives as a unique masterpiece. This involves allowing him to cleanse the stains and heal the wounds of sin, as we commit to letting our lives blossom in beauty until they attain the fullness of love — the only source of true happiness.

To be sure, this is a demanding journey. There is always the risk of discouragement or of being drawn to easier paths to satisfaction, such as wealth, fame and power (cf. Mt 4:3–8). These temptations, which Jesus himself faced, are merely poor substitutes for the joy for which we were created. Ultimately, they leave us dissatisfied, restless and empty.

For this reason, Saint Paul VI taught that penance — far from impoverishing our humanity — enriches, purifies and strengthens it, as we move toward a horizon that has “as its aim love and surrender to God” (Apostolic Constitution Paenitemini, 17 February 1966, I). Indeed, while penance makes us aware of our limitations, it also grants us the strength to overcome them and to live, with God’s help, in deeper communion with him and with one another.

In this time of grace, let us therefore practice penance generously, alongside prayer and works of mercy. Let us create space for silence by turning off televisions, radios and cell phones for a while. Let us meditate on the Word of God, approach the Sacraments, and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit who speaks to us in our heart. Let us also listen to one another — in our families, workplaces and communities. Let us dedicate time to those who are alone, especially the elderly, the poor and the sick. By giving up what is superfluous, we can share what we save with those in need. Then, as Saint Augustine taught, our prayer offered in this way — “in humility and charity, by fasting and giving, by restraining ourselves and pardoning, by paying out good deeds and not paying back bad ones, by turning away from evil and doing good” (Sermons, 206, 3) — will reach heaven and give us peace.

We entrust our Lenten journey to the Virgin Mary, our Mother who always assists her children in times of trial.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Four years have passed since the beginning of the war against Ukraine. My heartfelt thoughts remain focused on the tragic situation unfolding before the eyes of the whole world: so many victims, so many lives and families shattered, such immense destruction, such unspeakable suffering! Every war is truly a wound inflicted upon the entire human family; it leaves in its wake death, devastation and a trail of pain that marks generations.

Peace cannot be postponed. It is an urgent necessity that must find a home in our hearts and be translated into responsible decisions. For this reason, I renew my heartfelt appeal: let the weapons fall silent, let the bombings cease, let an immediate ceasefire be reached, and let dialogue be strengthened to pave the way toward peace.

I invite everyone to join in prayer for the embattled people of Ukraine and for all those who suffer due to this war and every conflict in the world, that the long-awaited gift of peace may shine upon our days.

I now extend my greetings to all of you: the faithful of Rome and pilgrims from Italy and various other countries.

I warmly bless the Working Sisters of Jesus on the centenary of the founding of their Institute. I greet the School of Saint Joseph Calasanzio in Prievidza, Slovakia, and I offer my encouragement to the associations committed to addressing rare diseases together.

I greet the Apostleship of Prayer group from Biella; the faithful from Nicosia, Castelfranco Veneto, and the deanery of Melegnano; the confirmation candidates from Boltiere; the young people of the Saint Mary Magdalene pastoral community in Milan; and the scouts from Tarquinia.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday and a fruitful Lenten journey.

22.02.26 a

Pope Leo Angelus 22.02.26

Pope Leo Holy Mass 18.02.26

Ash Wednesday

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

Dear brothers and sisters,

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 fragile and least suited to large gatherings, those whose absence would be easy to justify. The prophet goes on to refer to husband and wife: he seems to call them from the privacy of their marital life, so that they will feel part of a larger community. Then he turns to priests, who already find themselves — almost by duty — “between the vestibule and the altar” (v. 17). They are invited to weep and to express these fitting words on behalf of all: “Spare your people, O Lord!” (ibid).

Even today, Lent remains a powerful time for community: “Gather the people. Sanctify the congregation” (Joel 2:16). We know that it has become increasingly difficult to gather people together and make them feel like a community — not in a nationalistic and aggressive way, but in a communion where each of us finds our place. Indeed, during Lent, a people is formed that recognises its sins. These sins are evils that have not come from supposed enemies, but afflicts our hearts, and exist within us. We need to respond by courageously accepting responsibility for them. Moreover, we must accept that while this attitude is countercultural, it constitutes an authentic, honest and attractive option, especially in our times, when it is so easy to feel powerless in the face of a world that is in flames. Truly, the Church exists as a community of witnesses that recognise their sins.

Naturally, sin is personal, but it takes shape in the real and virtual contexts of life, in the attitudes we adopt towards each other that mutually impact us, and often within real economic, cultural, political and even religious “structures of sin.” Scripture teaches us that opposing idolatry with worship of the living God means daring to be free, and rediscovering freedom through an exodus, a journey, where we are no longer paralyzed, rigid or complacent in our positions, but gathered together to move and change. How rare it is to find adults who repent — individuals, businesses and institutions that admit they have done wrong!

Today, we are reflecting precisely on this possibility of repentance. Indeed, it is no coincidence that, even in secularised contexts, many young people, more than in the past, are open to the invitation of Ash Wednesday. Young people especially understand clearly that it is possible to live a just lifestyle, and that there should be accountability for wrongdoings in the Church and in the world. We must therefore start where we can, with those who are around us. “Now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Cor 6:2). Let us therefore embrace the missionary significance of Lent, not in a way that distracts us from our individual efforts, but in a way that introduces this season to the many restless people of good will who are seeking authentic ways to renew their lives, within the context of the Kingdom of God and his justice.

“Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” (Joel 2:17). The prophet’s question is a warning. It also reminds us of what others think about us, especially those who observe the people of God from the outside. Lent urges us towards a change of direction — conversion — that makes our proclamation more credible.

Sixty years ago, a few weeks after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, Saint Paul VI decided to celebrate the Rite of Ashes publicly during a General Audience in Saint Peter’s Basilica, so that the gesture that we are about to perform today would be visible to all. He spoke of it as a “severe and striking penitential ceremony” (Paul VI, General Audience, 23 February 1966) that defies common sense and at the same time responds to the demands of our culture.

18.02.26 m

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

Message for Lent 2026

Excerpt below for the full transcript click on the link above

Listening and Fasting:

Lent as a Time of Conversion

Dear brothers and sisters,

Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the centre of our lives, in order to find renewal in our faith and keep our hearts from being consumed by the anxieties and distractions of daily life.

Every path towards conversion begins by allowing the word of God to touch our hearts and welcoming it with a docile spirit. There is a relationship between the word, our acceptance of it and the transformation it brings about. For this reason, the Lenten journey is a welcome opportunity to heed the voice of the Lord and renew our commitment to following Christ, accompanying him on the road to Jerusalem, where the mystery of his passion, death and resurrection will be fulfilled.

13.02.26

Pope Leo General Audience 18.02.26

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

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

When the Second Vatican Council, to whose documents we are dedicating the catecheses, wanted to describe the Church, it was concerned first and foremost with explaining where its origins lie. In order to do so, in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, approved on 21 November 1964, it drew the term “mystery” from the Letters of Saint Paul. By choosing this word, he did not mean to say that the Church is something obscure or incomprehensible, as is commonly thought when the word “mystery” is heard. It is exactly the opposite: indeed, when Saint Paul uses the word, especially in the Letter to the Ephesians, he wishes to indicate a reality that was previously hidden and is now revealed.

It refers to God’s plan, which has a purpose: to unify all creatures thanks to the reconciliatory action of Jesus Christ, an action that was accomplished in his death on the cross. This is experienced first of all in the assembly gathered for the liturgical celebration: there, differences are relativised, and what counts is being together because we are drawn by the Love of Christ, who broke down the wall of separation between people and social groups (cf. Eph 2:14). For Saint Paul, mystery is the manifestation of what God wanted to achieve for the whole of humanity, and is made known in local experiences, which gradually widen to include all human beings and even the cosmos.

The condition of humanity is one of fragmentation that human beings are unable to repair, even though the tendency towards unity dwells in their heart. The action of Jesus Christ enters into this condition through the power of the Holy Spirit, and overcomes the powers of division and the Divider himself. Gathering together to celebrate, having believed in the proclamation of the Gospel, is experienced as an attraction exerted by the cross of Christ, which is the supreme manifestation of God’s love. It is feeling called together by God: this is why the term ekklesía is used, that is, an assembly of people who recognise that they have been summoned together. So, there is a certain coincidence between this mystery and the Church: the Church is the mystery made perceptible.

This convocation, precisely because it is brought about by God, cannot however be limited to a group of people, but rather is destined to become the experience of all human beings. Therefore, the Second Vatican Council, at the beginning of the Constitution Lumen gentium, states that: “the Church is in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race” (no. 1). With the use of the term “sacrament” and the consequent explanation, it is intended to indicate that the Church is an expression of what God wants to accomplish in the history of humanity; therefore, by looking at the Church, we can to some extent grasp God’s plan, the mystery. In this sense, the Church is a sign. In addition, the term “instrument” is added to the term “sacrament”, precisely to show that the Church is an active sign. Indeed, when God works in history, he involves in his activity the people who are the objects of his action. It is through the Church that God achieves the aim of bringing people to him and uniting them with one another.

Union with God finds its reflection in the union of human beings. This is the experience of salvation. It is not a coincidence that in the Constitution Lumen gentium, in Chapter 7, dedicated to the eschatological nature of the pilgrim Church, again uses the description of the Church as a sacrament, with the specification “of salvation”: “Christ, having been lifted up from the earth has drawn all to Himself (cf. Jn 12:32 gr.). Rising from the dead (cf. Rom 6:9) He sent His life-giving Spirit upon His disciples and through Him has established His Body which is the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation. Sitting at the right hand of the Father, He is continually active in the world that He might lead men to the Church and through it join them to Himself and that He might make them partakers of His glorious life by nourishing them with His own Body and Blood”.

This text enables us to understand the relationship between the unifying action of the Pasch of Jesus, which is the mystery of the passion, death and resurrection, and the identity of the Church. At the same time, it makes us grateful to belong to the Church, the body of the risen Christ and the one pilgrim people of God journeying through history, which lives as a sanctifying presence in the midst of a still fragmented humanity, as an effective sign of unity and reconciliation among peoples.

I extend a warm welcome this morning to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from England, Scotland, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, the Philippines and the United States of America. I greet in particular the students of the Loyola University of Chicago Rome Center. As we begin our Lenten journey today, let us ask the Lord to grant us the gift of true conversion of heart so that we may better respond to his love for us and share that love with those around us. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!

Finally, my thoughts turn to young people, the sick, and newlyweds. At the beginning of Lent, I urge you to live this liturgical season with an intense spirit of prayer, so that, interiorly renewed, you may reach the celebration of the great mystery of Christ's Easter, the supreme revelation of God's merciful love.

My blessing to everyone!

18.02.26 ga

Pope Leo General Audience 18.02.26

The Gospel in your pocket

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

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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