Pope Leo XIV says "renew the joy of running out to meet the world to bring it the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of love, justice, and peace" FULL TEXT Audience

POPE LEO XIV at the GENERAL AUDIENCE
in the Vatican Paul VI Hall on Wednesday, January 7, 2026
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Catechesis. The Second Vatican Council through its Documents. Introductory Catechesis
FULL TEXT  of Pope Leo XIV - 
Brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

After the Jubilee Year, during which we reflected on the mysteries of Jesus' life, we begin a new cycle of catechesis dedicated to the Second Vatican Council and a rereading of its documents. This is a precious opportunity to rediscover the beauty and importance of this ecclesial event. Saint John Paul II , at the end of the Jubilee of 2000 , stated: "I feel more than ever the duty to point to the Council as the great grace from which the Church has benefited in the twentieth century "

(Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte , 57).

Along with the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, in 2025 we commemorated the sixtieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council . Although the time separating us from this event is not a great deal, it is equally true that the generation of bishops, theologians, and believers of Vatican II is no longer with us today. Therefore, while we feel the call not to extinguish its prophecy and to continue seeking ways and means to implement its insights, it will be important to get to know it closely again, and to do so not through hearsay or the interpretations that have been given of it, but by rereading its Documents and reflecting on their content. Indeed, it is the Magisterium that still constitutes the guiding light of the Church's journey today. As Benedict XVI taught , "with the passing of the years, the documents have not lost their relevance; their teachings prove particularly pertinent in relation to the new needs of the Church and of today's globalized society" ( First message after the Mass with the Cardinal electors , 20 April 2005).

When Pope Saint John XXIII opened the Council on October 11, 1962 , he spoke of it as the dawn of a day of light for the entire Church. The work of the numerous Fathers convened, drawn from Churches on every continent, effectively paved the way for a new ecclesial era. After a rich biblical, theological, and liturgical reflection that spanned the twentieth century, the Second Vatican Council rediscovered the face of God as a Father who, in Christ, calls us to be his children. It looked at the Church in the light of Christ, the light of the people, as a mystery of communion and a sacrament of unity between God and his people. He initiated an important liturgical reform by placing the mystery of salvation and the active and conscious participation of all the People of God at the center. At the same time, he helped us to open ourselves to the world and to grasp the changes and challenges of the modern era through dialogue and co-responsibility, as a Church that wishes to open its arms to humanity, to echo the hopes and anxieties of peoples, and to collaborate in the construction of a more just and more fraternal society.

Thanks to the Second Vatican Council , "the Church becomes word; the Church becomes message; the Church becomes conversation" (St. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam suam , 67), committing itself to seeking the truth through the path of ecumenism, interreligious dialogue and dialogue with people of good will.

This spirit, this interior attitude, must characterize our spiritual life and the pastoral action of the Church, for we must still more fully implement ecclesial reform in a ministerial manner and, faced with today's challenges, we are called to remain attentive interpreters of the signs of the times, joyful heralds of the Gospel, courageous witnesses of justice and peace. Bishop Albino Luciani, the future Pope John Paul I , as Bishop of Vittorio Veneto, wrote prophetically at the beginning of the Council : "As always, there is a need to create not so much organisms or methods or structures, but a deeper and more widespread holiness. […] It may be that the excellent and abundant fruits of a Council will be seen centuries later and will mature by laboriously overcoming conflicts and adverse situations." [1] Rediscovering the Council , therefore, as Pope Francis stated , helps us to "restore the primacy to God and to a Church that is crazy with love for her Lord and for all men, loved by him" ( Homily on the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council , 11 October 2022).

Brothers and sisters, what Saint Paul VI said to the Council Fathers at the conclusion of their work remains a guiding principle for us today. He stated that the time had come to depart, to leave the Council assembly to go out to meet humanity and bring it the good news of the Gospel, in the knowledge that he had lived through a time of grace in which past, present, and future were condensed: "The past: because the Church of Christ is gathered here, with its tradition, its history, its Councils, its Doctors, its Saints. [...] The present: because we leave each other to go out into the world of today, with its miseries, its pains, its sins, but also with its prodigious achievements, its values, its virtues. [...] The future, finally, is there, in the imperious appeal of the peoples for greater justice, in their desire for peace, in their conscious or unconscious thirst for a higher life: precisely that which the Church of Christ can and wants to give them" (St. Paul VI, Message to the Council Fathers , 8 December 1965).

It is the same for us. By approaching the Documents of the Second Vatican Council and rediscovering their prophecy and relevance, we embrace the rich tradition of the Church's life and, at the same time, we question the present and renew the joy of running out to meet the world to bring it the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of love, justice, and peace.

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[1] A. Luciani – John Paul I, Notes on the Council , in Opera omnia , vol. II, Vittorio Veneto 1959-1962. Speeches, writings, articles , Padua 1988, 451-453.

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Greetings


I extend a cordial greeting to the French-speaking people, especially the pilgrims from the Ivory Coast and France. At the end of the Jubilee Year, aware of having lived a time of grace, let us not allow the hope that inspired us to die, but rather let it always remain a guiding principle that will guide us as we encounter humanity and bring it the good news of the Gospel. 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 from England, Ireland, Australia, Canada and the United States of America. To all of you and your families, I offer my prayerful good wishes for a blessed Christmas season and a new year filled with joy and peace. God bless you all!


[ Dear German-speaking brothers and sisters, having concluded the Jubilee Year yesterday with the closing of the Holy Door, we thank the Lord for the graces he has bestowed upon us during this privileged time. May they help us to progress with hope in our journey of faith in the new year as well .]

I cordially greet the pilgrims of the Spanish language. I invite you to redescubrir juntos the Magisterium of the Second Vatican Council to value its prophecy and actuality; to embrace the rich tradition of the life of the Church; to question ourselves about the present and to renew the joy of bringing to the world the Gospel of the King of God, who is a King of love, justice and peace. Que el Señor bless him. Much thanks.


I extend my cordial greetings to the Chinese-speaking people. Dear brothers and sisters, may the New Year bring peace and serenity to you and your families. I bless you from my heart .


I extend a cordial greeting to all Portuguese-speaking pilgrims, especially those responsible for the Holy Houses of Mercy from the Diocese of Bragança-Miranda, Portugal. Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray to the Lord that the spiritual fruits of the recently concluded Jubilee will sustain the witness of Christians, called to be promoters of justice and peace in holiness. God bless you !


I greet the Arabic-speaking faithful. Christians are called to set out with joy to bring the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of love, justice, and peace, to the whole world. May the Lord bless you all and protect you always from all evil !


I cordially greet the Polish people! Yesterday, with the closing of the Holy Door, we concluded the Jubilee Year. May the doors of your hearts and homes remain open to Christ. I join in prayer with the priests who bring God's blessing to your homes, to your families, to the sick, and to those who are lonely. My blessing to all !

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I extend a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking faithful. In particular, I greet the seminarians of the Congregation of the Mission, the "Our Angels in Paradise" group from Agrigento, the Caduti per la Patria school from Pomigliano d'Arco, and the directors and performers of the Zoppis Circus.

I then greet the young people, the sick, and the newlyweds. May Jesus, whom we contemplate in the mystery of Christmas, be a sure guide for all in the new year that has just begun.

My blessing to everyone!