In a world marked by conflict, division, and uncertainty, the Church stands as a living sign of unity and hope, Pope Leo XIV told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square during his Wednesday General Audience on March 11.
Continuing his reflections on the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, the Holy Father emphasized that the Church’s mission is rooted in bringing all people together in Christ. Speaking to the faithful, he reminded them that the Church cannot isolate itself but must remain open to the entire world.
“Unified in Christ, Lord and Saviour of every man and woman, the Church can never turn inwards on herself, but is open to everyone and is for everyone,” Pope Leo said, according to Vatican News.
The Pope noted that the Church’s unity is especially meaningful in an era defined by wars, tensions, and cultural divisions. The presence of believers from many nations and cultures within one body of faith, he said, is itself a powerful witness.
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“It is a great sign of hope—especially in our times, traversed by so many conflicts and wars—to know that the Church is a people in which women and men of different nationalities, languages, and cultures live together in faith,” he explained, according to Vatican News.
Reflecting on salvation history, the Pope described how God chose a people through whom His saving plan would unfold. Beginning with Abraham and continuing through the covenant with Israel, God’s work of salvation has always been carried out through a community formed by faith.
“The identity of this people is given by God’s action and by faith in Him,” Pope Leo said, noting that God called His people to become “a light for other nations, like a beacon that will draw all peoples, the whole of humanity, to itself,” according to Vatican News.
That mission reached its fullness in Jesus Christ. The Pope pointed to the Eucharist as the moment in which Christ unites believers most deeply, recalling that Jesus gives His Body and Blood to form a single people of God.
“Indeed, it is Christ who, in giving His Body and His Blood, unites this people in Himself and in a definitive way,” he said, according to Vatican News.
The Pope stressed that the Church’s true identity does not rest on worldly status or titles but on the grace given through Christ. Christians, he said, should seek only one honor: to be children of God.
“Those who belong to it do not pride themselves on merits or titles, but only on the gift of being, in Christ and through Him, daughters and sons of God,” he said, according to Vatican News.
Because of this shared identity, the Church must be guided by love in all relationships and remain focused on its ultimate goal: the Kingdom of God. The Pope explained that every Christian is called to witness to the Gospel wherever they live and work.
At the same time, the Church’s mission is universal. Drawing again from Lumen gentium, Pope Leo reminded the faithful that all people are called to belong to the people of God and that the Church must extend across every nation and generation.
“All men are called to belong to the new people of God,” he said, according to Vatican News, emphasizing that the Church is tasked with spreading the Gospel so that every person may encounter Christ.
This universal mission requires the Church to welcome people of every culture while allowing the Gospel to transform and elevate what is good within them.
“In the Church there is, and there must be, a place for everyone,” Pope Leo said, according to Vatican News.
Concluding his catechesis, the Holy Father echoed the words of Jesuit theologian Father Henri de Lubac, describing the Church as the great vessel of salvation meant to gather humanity together.
“The unique Ark of Salvation must welcome all human diversity into its vast nave,” he said, according to Vatican News.
Through unity in Christ and openness to the world, Pope Leo reminded the faithful that the Church is not merely an institution but a living sign of the peace and communion God desires for all humanity.
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