Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholics to rediscover the liturgy as a central source of Christian faith, formation and unity, emphasizing that worship should shape believers for lives of communion, reconciliation and peace.
In a message sent to participants in Italy’s 76th National Liturgical Week in Catania, the Pope highlighted the close relationship between catechesis and the Church’s sacramental life. According to Vatican News, the Aug. 24–27 gathering is centered on the theme “A Church that generates: Liturgy and Christian Initiation.”
Pope Leo cautioned against viewing Christian initiation simply as “preparation for the Sacraments.” Instead, he described it as the “womb” through which the Christian community gives birth to faith and communion with the Lord.
The Pope pointed Christians back to the life of the early Church, where instruction in the faith, fellowship, prayer and the breaking of bread belonged together. According to Vatican News, he encouraged Catholic communities to restore this connection by giving the liturgy a stronger place in Christian formation.
“In the liturgy, the mystery of Christ takes hold of us, transforms us, and causes us to be born as new creatures,” Pope Leo said.
His message also emphasized that Catholic worship is more than an individual spiritual experience. The liturgy is the action of the Church as one body, and that communal character calls for fidelity and respect toward the Church’s rites.
Reflecting on the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, Pope Leo described liturgical rites as “the ecclesial mediation through which the divine gift reaches us.” He stressed the importance of helping Catholics understand the gestures and symbols of the liturgy so that their participation is truly active and rooted in faith, according to Vatican News.
The Pope particularly encouraged pastors and catechists to help the faithful appreciate the “sober solemnity of liturgical gestures.” Such formation can help Catholics, especially those beginning their journey of faith, recognize that the Church’s rites are not empty ceremonies but expressions of profound spiritual realities.
Pope Leo also described the liturgy as “a privileged place for listening to the Word of God,” emphasizing the importance of Sacred Scripture as it is proclaimed within the Church’s worship.
Ultimately, the Pope connected authentic liturgical life with the Christian mission beyond the walls of the church. Worship at the altar should transform believers and bear fruit in the way they encounter others in everyday life.
“Only in this way,” Pope Leo said, “will faith, born from the altar, be able to reach the streets of humanity, bearing fruits of goodness, reconciliation, and peace.”
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