Pope Leo XIV says The "Jubilee is a time of - hope, in which our hearts can find forgiveness" - We "must choose whom we will serve: justice or injustice, God or money"

JUBILEE AUDIENCE with 30,000 people at the Vatican.
FULL TEXT Catechesis of the Holy Father POPE LEO XIV
in St Peter's Square on Saturday, 4 October 2025
At the Jubilee Audience of Migrants and the Missionary World, in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the meaning of Christian hope, commenting on the day’s Gospel reading (Lk 16:13–14), the Pope spoke about the challenge of serving God rather than wealth, and highlighted St Clare of Assisi as a key example of youthful faith and radical discipleship.
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Catechesis. 6. To Hope is to Choose. Clare of Assisi
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning, and welcome everyone!
In the biblical text just read ( Luke 16:13-14), the Evangelist notes that some people, after listening to Jesus, mocked him. His discourse on poverty seemed absurd to them. More precisely, they felt touched to the quick by their attachment to money.

Dear friends, you have come as pilgrims of hope, and the Jubilee is a time of concrete hope, in which our hearts can find forgiveness and mercy, so that everything can begin anew. The Jubilee also opens the door to the hope of a different distribution of wealth, to the possibility that the earth belongs to everyone, because in reality this is not the case. This year we must choose whom we will serve: justice or injustice, God or money.

To hope is to choose . This means at least two things. The most obvious is that the world changes if we change. This is why we make a pilgrimage; it's a choice. We pass through the Holy Door to enter a new era. The second meaning is deeper and more subtle: to hope is to choose, because those who don't choose despair. One of the most common consequences of spiritual sadness, that is, acedia, is not choosing anything. Those who experience it are overcome by an inner laziness that is worse than death. To hope, however, is to choose.

Today I would like to remember a woman who, with the grace of God, knew how to choose . A courageous and unconventional girl: Clare of Assisi. And I am happy to speak of her on the very day of the feast of Saint Francis. We know that Francis, in choosing evangelical poverty, had to break with his family. But he was a man: there was scandal, but it was minor. Clare's choice was even more impressive: a girl who wanted to be like Francis, who wanted to live, as a woman, free like those brothers!

Chiara understood what the Gospel demands. But even in a city that believes itself to be Christian, the Gospel taken seriously can seem like a revolution. Then, as today, we must choose! Chiara chose, and this gives us great hope. We see two consequences of her courage in following that desire: the first is that many other young women in that area found the same courage and chose the poverty of Jesus, the life of the Beatitudes; the second consequence is that that choice wasn't a flash in the pan, but endures through time, right down to us. Chiara's choice has inspired vocational choices around the world and continues to do so today.

Jesus says: you cannot serve two masters. Thus, the Church is young and attracts young people. Clare of Assisi reminds us that the Gospel appeals to young people. It's still true: young people like people who have chosen and bear the consequences of their choices. And this makes others want to choose. It's a holy imitation: we don't become "photocopies," but each person—when choosing the Gospel—chooses himself. He loses himself and finds himself. Experience shows: this is how it happens.

Let us pray, then, for young people; and let us pray that we may be a Church that serves not money or itself, but the Kingdom of God and His justice. A Church that, like Saint Clare of Assisi, has the courage to inhabit the city differently. This gives us hope!

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Greetings
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 South Africa, South Korea and the United States of America. A special greeting to all of you who are participating in the Jubilee of the Missions and Migrants. 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!

I cordially greet the French-speaking faithful, especially the pilgrims from the Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul, accompanied by Archbishop Massimiliano Palinuro; those from France, with Archbishop Matthieu Rougé; and those from Belgium. Brothers and sisters, let us pray for young people, that they may find in the Church, at the service of the Kingdom of God and His justice, a space where they can make choices inspired by the Gospel and sustained by hope. God bless you !

I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking pilgrims. Let us pray to the Lord for young people that, following Clare's example, they may know how to choose and give meaning to their lives; and also that we may be a Church that does not seek to serve money or itself, but rather the Kingdom of God and its justice. May God bless you.

I greet the Portuguese-speaking pilgrims, especially those from Portugal and Brazil, gathered here for the Jubilee pilgrimage. I urge you to pass through the Holy Door, choosing the life Jesus offers us in the Gospel: a life of poverty, justice, mercy, peace, and joy. God bless you!

I greet all Poles, especially young people studying in schools and universities, with the aim of taking on responsible roles in society and in various communities in the future. May the example of Saints Francis and Clare strengthen you in making courageous life decisions, in desiring and demanding more of yourselves, becoming a sign of hope for others, especially your peers. I bless you from the bottom of my heart!

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I extend a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking faithful, especially those of the Diocese of Piacenza-Bobbio, with Bishop Adriano Cevolotto. Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that, strengthened by the grace of the Jubilee, you may be witnesses of brotherhood and evangelical charity in your communities.

I then greet the parishes of Francavilla al Mare, San Felice a Cancello, and Sarno, and the Italian Motorcycling Federation.

Finally, my thoughts turn to young people, the sick, and newlyweds. Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. For you young people, may he be a model of evangelical life; for you who are sick, an example of love for the Cross of Christ; for you, newlyweds, I invite you to always have trust in Divine Providence.

My blessing to everyone!
Summary of Catechesis - Read by Pope Leo XIV in English:

Dear brothers and sisters, as we continue our Jubilee catecheses we reflect on the choice to hope. We heard in the Gospel passage today about the choice to serve God or to serve money. When we allow material possessions to rule over us, we can fall into spiritual sadness. When we choose God, however, we choose hope and a life of forgivenss and mercy. On this feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, we look at his life and that of Saint Clare. They are models of those who understood the Gospel and chose a life of poverty as Jesus did. Their choice continues to inspire many to remember that the earth belongs to everyone. Let us pray to be a Church that serves God and the poor and opens the door of hope to the world.

Source: Vatican.va