Pope Leo XIV says "in the liturgy, “the work of our redemption is accomplished” which makes us...a royal priesthood, a holy nation" FULL TEXT at Audience Joined by Orthodox

Catholicos Aram I joined Pope Leo on the stage in St. Peter’s Square, just two days after the two Church leaders had met and prayed together on Monday, May 18, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace. Speaking at the start of the General Audience, Pope Leo expressed his joy to welcome Catholicos Aram I and his delegation.

Pope LEO XIV at the GENERAL AUDIENCE

Saint Peter's Square on Wednesday, 20 May 2026
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Initial Greeting of the Holy Father to His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.

Brothers and sisters, I am very happy to welcome His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, together with the distinguished delegation accompanying him. This fraternal visit represents an important opportunity to strengthen the bonds of unity that already exist between us, as we move towards full communion between our Churches.

Your Holiness, in these days when we prepare for Pentecost, I invoke the grace of the Holy Spirit upon your pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and I invite all those present to pray fervently to the Lord that your visit and meetings may constitute a further step on the path towards full unity. Let us also pray for peace in Lebanon and the Middle East, once again torn apart by violence and war.

Your Holiness, I wish to express my particular gratitude for your constant personal commitment to ecumenism, especially to the international theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Welcome, Your Holiness, dear bishops and dear friends! Together, let us invoke the intercession of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Saint Gregory of Nareg, Saint Nerses the Gracious and, above all, the Virgin Mother of God, that they may enlighten our path towards the fullness of that unity we all desire.

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FULL TEXT - Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. III. Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium. 1. The liturgy in the mystery of the Church

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

Today we are beginning a new series of catecheses on the first Document issued by the Second Vatican Council: the Constitution on the sacred liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC).

In drafting this Constitution, the Council Fathers sought not only to undertake a reform of the rites, but to lead the Church to contemplate and deepen that living bond which constitutes and unites her: the mystery of Christ. Indeed, the liturgy touches the very heart of this mystery: it is at once the space, the time and the context in which the Church receives her very life from Christ. For in the liturgy, “the work of our redemption is accomplished” (SC, 2), which makes us a chosen lineage, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people whom God has acquired for Himself (cf. 1 Pet 2:9).

As manifested by the threefold renewal – biblical, patristic and liturgical – that the Church underwent through the course of the twentieth century, the Mystery in question does not designate an obscure reality, but God’s salvific plan, hidden from all eternity and revealed in Christ, according to Saint Paul’s affirmation (cf. Eph 3:2-6). Here, then, is the Christian Mystery: the Paschal event, that is to say, the passion, death, resurrection and glorification of Christ, which is made sacramentally present to us precisely in the liturgy, so that every time we take part in the assembly gathered “in his name” (cf. Mt 18:20) we are immersed in this Mystery.

Christ Himself is the inner source of the mystery of the Church, the holy people of God, born from His side pierced on the cross. In the holy liturgy, through the power of His Spirit, He continues to act. He sanctifies and unites the Church, His bride, to His offering to the Father. He exercises His utterly unique priesthood, He who is present in the proclaimed Word, in the sacraments, in the ministers who celebrate, in the gathered community and, in the highest degree, in the Eucharist (cf. SC, 7). Thus, according to Saint Augustine (cf. Sermon, 277), in celebrating the Eucharist the Church “receives the Body of the Lord and becomes what she receives”: she becomes the Body of Christ, “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph 2:22). This is the “work of our redemption”, which conforms us to Christ and builds us up in communion.

In the holy liturgy, this communion is achieved through “rites and prayers” (SC, 48). The rituality of the Church expresses her faith – in accordance with the familiar saying lex orandi, lex credendi – and at the same time shapes ecclesial identity: the proclaimed Word, the celebration of the Sacrament, the gestures, the silences, the space – all this represents and gives form to the people gathered by the Father, the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Every celebration thus becomes a true epiphany of the Church in prayer, as Saint John Paul II recalled (Apostolic Letter Vicesimus quintus annus, 9).

If the liturgy is at the service of the mystery of Christ, one understands why it has been defined as “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed … the font from which all her power flows” (SC, 10). It is true that the action of the Church is not limited to the liturgy alone; however, all her activity (preaching, service to the poor, the accompaniment of human realities) converges towards this “summit”). Conversely, the liturgy sustains the faithful by immersing them ever and anew in the Pasch of the Lord and, thus, through the proclamation of the Word, the celebration of the sacraments and communal prayer, they are refreshed, encouraged and renewed in their commitment to faith and in their mission. In other words, the participation of the faithful in the liturgical action is at once “internal” and “external”.

This also means that it is called to unfold in a tangible way throughout daily life, in an ethical and spiritual dynamic, so that the liturgy celebrated is translated into life and demands a faithful existence, capable of making concrete what has been experienced in the celebration: it is in this way that our life becomes a “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”, fulfilling our “spiritual worship” (Rom 12:1).

In this way, “the liturgy daily builds up those who are within into a holy temple of the Lord” (SC, 2), and forms an open community, welcoming to all. Indeed, it is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, it introduces us into the life of Christ, it makes us His Body and, in all its dimensions, it represents a sign of the unity of the entire human race in Christ. As Pope Francis said, “the world still does not know it, but everyone is invited to the supper of the wedding of the Lamb (Rev 19:9)” (Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi, 5).

Dear friends, let us allow ourselves to be shaped inwardly by the rites, symbols, gestures and above all the living presence of Christ in the liturgy, which we will have the opportunity to explore in the coming Catecheses.

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Special greetings:

I cordially greet the French-speaking pilgrims from Senegal, Ivory Coast, and France, especially the students from the various schools. Dear friends, let us allow ourselves to be interiorly shaped in the liturgy by the rites, symbols, gestures, silences, and, above all, by the living presence of Christ. May the Holy Spirit fill you with his gifts! I bless you wholeheartedly .

I greet this morning all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today's Audience, particularly the groups from England, Ireland, Tanzania, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Canada and the United States of America, as well as the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums from Canada. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke the joy and peace of the rising Jesus! God bless you!

Liebe Brüder und Schwestern deutscher Sprache, ich lade euch ein, euch in der Feier der Liturgie immer tiefer in das Geheimnis Christi zu versenken, damit er euer Leben durch sein Wort und seine Sakràmente bereichern und verwandeln kann. In Erwartung des Pfingstfestes rufen wer gemeinsam mit der Mutter Jesu und den Aposteln den Heiligen Geist an, damit er unsere Herzen und das Antlitz der Erde erneuere.

[ Dear German-speaking brothers and sisters, I invite you to immerse yourselves ever more deeply in the mystery of Christ in the liturgical celebration, so that He may enrich and transform your lives through His Word and His sacraments. As we await Pentecost, united with the Mother of Jesus and the Apostles, we invoke the Holy Spirit to renew our hearts and the face of the earth. ]

I cordially greet the pilgrims of the Spanish language. Let us turn to the Holy Spirit which helps us to form ourselves internally through the liturgy, so that our whole life is a continuous “action of grace”. May God bless them. Much thanks.

I extend my cordial greeting to the Chinese-speaking people. Dear brothers and sisters, persevere in your journey of faith: the Risen Christ is close to you and walks with you. I bless you from my heart .

 A cordial greeting to all Portuguese-speaking faithful, especially the priests of the Archdiocese of Maringá and the groups of pilgrims from Brazil and Portugal. United in the same faith, we ask the Lord for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon his Church. God bless you! ]


I greet the Arabic-speaking faithful. We are called to be like the Virgin Mary, who throughout her earthly life was a humble handmaid of the Lord. May God bless you all and always protect you from all evil !

I cordially greet the Polish people. Forty years ago, Saint John Paul II published the Encyclical Dominum et Vivificantem , in which he recalled that the Holy Spirit is the "Light of hearts" and allows us to "call good and evil by name." As we await Pentecost, let us ask the Spirit of God to awaken human consciences with his gifts, to turn them away from injustice, violence, and war, and to renew the face of the earth! I bless you all !

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I extend a cordial welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims. In particular, I greet the faithful of the Regina Pacis parish in Angri, which is celebrating the centenary of its foundation, and I urge them to look to Mary and be drawn by her example and her holiness. I then greet the group from the Basilica of Saint Rita of Cascia and will be happy to bless the Torch of Forgiveness and Peace, a symbol of our twinning with the city of Chicago.

I warmly welcome the participants in the event promoted by the Ethics in Sport Movement and thank the young athletes who have written an essay inspired by their sporting activities. Dear friends, you have a noble mission: to preserve the soul of sport. Remember that the true goal is not material victory, but respect for your opponent, fair play, and inclusion of all.

Finally, I turn to young people, the sick, and newlyweds, wishing each of them to always serve God with joy and to love their neighbor with an evangelical spirit.My blessing to everyone!
Summary of the Holy Father's words:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, as we continue our series of catecheses on the Second Vatican Council, today we consider the Dogmatic Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium. This document teaches that the liturgy immerses us in the mystery of Christ’s passion, death, resurrection and glorification. Through liturgical rites and prayers, and by the power of the Spirit, Jesus exercises his priesthood and sanctifies the Church, his spouse, uniting her to his own oblation to the Father. Indeed, Christ is present in the word that is proclaimed, in the sacraments, in the ministers, in the community, and most of all in the Eucharist. Let us allow ourselves to be shaped from within by the rites, symbols, gestures and above all by the living presence of Christ in the liturgy, which we will have further opportunity to explore.