JUBILEE AUDIENCE
CATECHESIS OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV
in the Vatican's St. Peter's Square
Saturday, October 25, 2025
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Catechesis. 7. To hope is not to know – Nicholas of Cusa
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!
You have reached the goal of your pilgrimage, but, like Jesus' disciples, we must now learn to inhabit a new world. The Jubilee has made us pilgrims of hope precisely for this reason: everything must now be viewed in the light of the resurrection of the Crucified One. It is in this hope that we are saved! Our eyes, however, are not accustomed. So, before ascending to heaven, the Risen One began to educate our gaze. And he continues to do so today! Indeed, things are not as they seem: love has triumphed, even though we have before our eyes so many contrasts and see the clash of many opposites.
In an equally troubled era, in the 15th century, the Church had a Cardinal who is still little known today. He was a great thinker and servant of unity. His name was Nicholas and he came from Kues, Germany: Nicholas of Cusa. He can teach us that to hope is also to "not know." As Saint Paul writes, "how can one hope for what he already sees?" ( Rom 8:24). Nicholas of Cusa could not see the unity of the Church, shaken by opposing currents and divided between East and West. He could not see peace in the world and among religions, in an era in which Christianity felt threatened from without. While he traveled, however, as a diplomat for the Pope, he prayed and thought. This is why his writings are full of light.
Many of his contemporaries lived in fear; others armed themselves, preparing new crusades. Nicholas, however, chose from a young age to associate with those who had hope, those who delved into new disciplines, those who reread the classics and returned to the sources. He believed in humanity. He understood that opposites must be held together, that God is a mystery in which what is in tension finds unity. Nicholas knew he did not know, and so he increasingly understood reality. What a great gift for the Church! What a call to renewal of the heart! These are his teachings: make space, hold opposites together, hope for what is not yet seen.
Cusanus spoke of "learned ignorance," a sign of intelligence. The protagonist of some of his writings is a curious character: the idiot. He is a simple, uneducated person who asks the learned basic questions, challenging their certainties.
It's the same in today's Church. How many questions challenge our teaching! Questions from young people, questions from the poor, questions from women, questions from those silenced or condemned because they differ from the majority. We live in a blessed time: how many questions! The Church becomes an expert on humanity if she walks with humanity and echoes its questions in her heart.
Dear brothers and sisters, To hope is not to know. We don't already have the answers to all questions. But we do have Jesus. We follow Jesus. And so we hope for what we don't yet see. We become a people in which opposites merge into unity. We enter like explorers into the new world of the Risen One. Jesus goes before us. We learn, advancing one step at a time. It is a journey not only of the Church, but of all humanity. A journey of hope.
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Greetings
I extend a cordial greeting to the French-speaking people, especially the faithful of the Dioceses of Grenoble-Vienne and Saint-Etienne, as well as the pilgrims from Switzerland, Greece, Canada, and Madagascar. Following the example of Mary, who guarded all things, pondering them in her heart, we learn in this month of the Rosary that true hope is that which does not seek to know or understand everything, but lets itself be guided by faith. God bless you !
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 and the United States of America. A special greeting to those taking part in the International Federation of Catholic Universities. In praying that you may experience an increase in the virtue of hope during this Jubilee Year, I invoke upon all of you, and upon all your families, the joy and the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!
[ Dear German-speaking brothers and sisters, as pilgrims of hope we are called to be witnesses of the risen Jesus Christ. May he grant us the promised gifts of unity and peace .]
I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking pilgrims. Let us ask the Lord to help us be witnesses of hope and builders of communion, allowing ourselves to be challenged by the concerns and needs of the men and women of today. May God bless you. Thank you very much.
I extend a cordial greeting to all Portuguese-speaking pilgrims, especially those from the Parish of the Most Holy Redeemer in Luanda, Angola. Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is the fundamental answer to the deepest questions of our hearts. Let us entrust ourselves to him to journey together on this Jubilee journey as authentic promoters of peace, harmony, and unity, with the help of the Virgin Mary .
I cordially greet the Poles. These days mark the centenary of the historic Bull of Pope Pius XI – the heroic Apostolic Nuncio in Warsaw – which reorganized the administration of the Church in Poland and, after the tragic period of partitions and wars, created several new Dioceses. May the treasure of faith, guarded for centuries, strengthen the clergy and laity in the hope of a zealous apostolic commitment. I bless you wholeheartedly !
I extend a cordial greeting to the Slovak-speaking faithful, especially those participating in the Jubilee Pilgrimage of the Greek Catholic Metropolitan Church in Slovakia. Dear brothers and sisters, you have come here in the Jubilee Year to cross the Holy Doors and meet the Successor of Peter, to whom your Church has remained faithful despite persecution in the past. I hope that you will be courageous witnesses of faith and hope in the Church and in society. I joyfully impart my Apostolic Blessing to you and your loved ones. Glory to Jesus Christ !
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I extend a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking faithful, especially those of the Diocese of Aversa, with Bishop Angelo Spinillo; Pozzuoli and Ischia, with Bishop Carlo Villano; Andria, with Bishop Luigi Mansi; Catanzaro-Squillace, with Archbishop Claudio Maniago; Rossano-Cariato, with Archbishop Maurizio Aloise. I hope that each of you will be inspired by apostolic zeal and will spread the Gospel message by your own example. I encourage you to find in prayer, particularly in the Eucharistic celebration, the strength to actively participate in the life of your communities. I also greet the faithful of Saluzzo and Novara, as well as the San Giovanni-Addolorata Hospital in Rome and the students of the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome: I remind everyone that every disciple of the Lord is called to play his or her role in building up the Church.
Finally, my thoughts turn to the young people, the sick, and newlyweds: may today's Jubilee experience be an effective stimulus to charity, justice, and peace, thus contributing to the renewal in Christ of every sphere of life. My blessing to all!
Summary of Catechesis:
As pilgrims of hope, we must view our troubled times in the light of the resurrection. Nicholas of Cusa, a cardinal from the fifteenth century, also lived during a turbulent era that involved serious spiritual divisions. Despite the tensions, Nicholas hoped for what he could not see and trusted that God could find unity. We too can learn from Nicholas of Cusa. When we do not know the answers let us remember the Risen One and ask him to lead us, step by step, on the journey of hope.
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