Pope Leo XIV Ordains 4 New Bishops and says No "one, absolutely no one, must consider themselves rejected by God, and you will be heralds of this good news that stands at the heart of the Gospel." FULL TEXT Homily

Pope Leo XIV, Bishop of the Diocese of Rome, ordains four priests as auxiliary bishops, during the Mass at the Archbasilica of St John Lateran. The new auxiliary bishops of the Diocese of Rome: Stefano Sparapani, Alessandro Zenobbi, Andrea Carlevale, and Marco Valenti. With the exception of Marco Valenti, who comes from Cantalupo in Sabina, all were born in Rome.
HOLY MASS WITH EPISCOPAL ORDINATIONS

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
in Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran,
Saturday, May 2, 2026
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Dear brothers and sisters,

By clinging to Christ, we become a solid and welcoming home: this is the joy we experience especially during the Easter season, and in particular today as we celebrate the Ordination of four new Auxiliary Bishops of the Diocese of Rome.

This Church has a singular vocation to universality and charity thanks to its special bond with Christ, risen and alive, the foundation of the spiritual edifice of living stones that is the holy people of God. Drawing close to Christ thus means drawing close to one another and growing together in unity: this is the Mystery that engages us and transforms the city from within. In service of its dynamism, brought to Rome by the apostles Peter and Paul, our brothers Andrew, Stephen, Mark, and Alexander are ordained to the episcopate. It is a people's celebration, for they come from this people and from the presbyterate that lovingly cares for them.

Our diocesan community gathers today to pray for the Holy Spirit, who will anoint the new Bishops, so that they may be fully consecrated to the service of Christ's Gospel. He is the rejected stone who, "chosen by God," has "become the cornerstone" ( 1 Pet 2:4, 7; cf. Ps 118:22).

To the first Christians this metaphor, so familiar because it appears in a psalm, must have seemed particularly revealing. The Messiah Jesus had been rejected not only because he was not recognized as the Son of God, but, even before that, for having assumed the condition of a creature, understood as unworthy of God. Faithful to this path of merciful love, he went out to seek the rejected sheep, sat at table with them, disarmed the hands and hearts that wanted to stone them. In this way, as the Gospel proclaimed in this Liturgy says, the Son showed the face of the Father: in Him his works are accomplished. "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?" ( Jn 14:8-9).

Church living in Rome, the rejected stone is the heart of the messianic message, facing those whom society has rejected and continues to reject. It is the heart of our message, of our mission. We have seen the Holy One touch the impure, the Just One forgive sinners, Life heal the sick, the Master wash the dirty and tired feet of his disciples.

In this city, capital of the great empire, the rejected stone became the banner of a new hope, that of the Kingdom of God, as the Beatitudes envision and the Magnificat sings . By overturning the logic of domination, that of those who pursue the senseless ambition of determining the architecture of the Earth, it happens in Christ that the rejected rediscover their dignity and feel chosen for the Kingdom of God. "If it were not so," Jesus says to his disciples, "would I have told you, 'I go to prepare a place for you'? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" ( Jn 14:2-3).

Dearest sisters and brothers, this is why, to this day, we become stones rejected by men and chosen by God: when, with our lives and words, we oppose plans that crush the weak, fail to respect the dignity of each person, exploit conflicts to select the strongest, while neglecting those left behind, those who fail, considering those who succumb as the dregs of history. Jesus walked among us as a disarming and disarming prophet, and when he was rejected, he did not change his ways.

And now I turn to you, dearest brothers, who from today will be Auxiliary Bishops of this Church, whose care I have received as a gift; to you who, with the Cardinal Vicar, will be able to help me to be a reflection of the Good Shepherd for the Roman people and to preside over the charity of all the holy people of God spread throughout the earth.

I encourage you to reach out to the rejected stones of this city and proclaim to them that in Christ, our cornerstone, no one is excluded from becoming an active part of the holy edifice that is the Church and of human brotherhood. This image echoes the call of Pope Francis 's Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium : to be a "field hospital" Church, to be street pastors, to have the material and existential peripheries in our hearts. As priests, you have accepted this invitation, together with the parish communities you have accompanied. Now comes a new calling, a further vocation, which always has the same heart: no one, absolutely no one, should think of themselves as rejected by God, and you will be heralds of this good news that is at the heart of the Gospel.

Let the Spirit of prophecy work within you: do not settle for the privileges your condition might offer you, do not follow the worldly logic of having first places, be witnesses of Christ who came not to be served but to serve (cf. Mk 10:45). You will be prophets in your ministry if you are men of peace and unity, bridging, with threads of grace and mercy, the broad and populous spaces of this Diocese, harmonizing differences, welcoming, listening, and forgiving.

Don't let yourselves be sought, let yourselves be found. And ensure that priests, deacons, men and women religious, and lay people engaged in the apostolate never feel alone. Help them rekindle hope in their various ministries and feel part of the same mission. Always know how to tirelessly motivate individuals and communities, simply recalling the beauty of the Gospel.

May the poor of Rome, the pilgrims, and the visitors who come here from every part of the world, find in the inhabitants of this city, in its institutions, and in its pastors, that motherhood which is the authentic face of the Church. May the Salus Populi Romani , Mother of our trust, always guide and protect us along the way.