Pope Leo XIV at Mass with 50,000 says "Inflamed by the charity of" Jesus' "Heart, let us become bearers of his mercy and his peace, so that wars may cease in the world and a new humanity, reconciled in love, may grow"
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Holy Mass in the stadium, attended by over 50,000 people, at the conclusion of the first day in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. A joyful atmosphere that only over 50,000 faithful gathered in a stadium can convey. Leo XIV concludes his first day in Gran Canaria with a Mass in the city's stadium. A "young" stadium, inaugurated in 2003, in the Siete Palmas neighborhood, where UD Las Palmas plays their home games.
HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER
Gran Canaria Stadium (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Dear brothers and sisters, after a day filled with meetings and sharing, as I celebrate this Eucharist with you, I want first of all to thank the Lord for the great good that is accomplished here every day, entrusting to him the commitment of all and, at the same time, the suffering to which this land bears witness. I also invite you to pray together, in this Holy Mass, for the souls of our brothers and sisters who have lost their lives at sea.
We will place all this on the altar with the bread and wine, as we enter, with the evening celebration of the Vigil, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to which all of Spain is consecrated. Let us ask the Lord that at this moment the same sentiments of humanity, mercy, and compassion of the Savior's Heart may be alive within us.
We let ourselves be helped, in our meditation, by the Readings we have listened to.
In the first, God reminds the Israelites of the generosity with which he loved them. He chose them not because they had special prerogatives, gifts, or merits, but out of pure love (cf. Deut 7:7-9), and he will continue to love them always, even when, due to their hardened hearts, they do not reciprocate his feelings.
This is the charity of God, in which our vocation to love is rooted: not based on calculation, nor on mere sentiment, nor reducible to simple philanthropy, but pervasive throughout our entire being: fire for the soul, light for the mind, an irresistible impulse toward freedom, peace and at the same time torment for the heart, which beats in harmony with other hearts, involving the entire person. Because love is innate in man, indeed it is a condition of fullness in his very existence.
Such is love that appears to us in the humanity of the Savior and in the movements of his most sacred Heart: immutable and faithful even in the face of misunderstanding and rejection, fear, sadness and human resistance (see Luke 22:39-46).
And it is in this face of God, always "in love," totally and constantly desirous of our good and our complete happiness, that we recognize the path of life, learning a new way of existing and relating, a different yardstick for evaluating choices, a renewed and regenerating style of communion. Pope Francis , speaking of Christ's charity, said that "the best response to the love of his Heart is love for our brothers and sisters" (Encyclical Letter Dilexit nos , 24 October 2024, 167), adding: "there is no greater gesture we can offer him to reciprocate love for love" ( ibid .). "Requiting love for love": this is the marvelous exchange, the " admirabile commercium " (cf. First Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Most Holy, Mother of God , first antiphon) in which the Gospel invites us to engage, translating the infinite measure of God's love into the generosity with which we serve Him every day, in the brothers and sisters He himself places in our path, especially those most in need, the defenseless, and incapable of reciprocating (cf. Luke 6:32-36). Just as it happens on this island, in welcome, in sharing, in selfless giving.
The generosity of the Heart of Christ, however, does not stop there. It goes further, committing itself to helping each person not only to survive, but also to regain confidence and resume the journey, to grow and flourish fully in their uniqueness, for the good of all. In this regard, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that charity "to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life [...] is the principal driving force for the true development of every person and of all humanity" (Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate , 29 June 2009, 1).
In the second reading, Saint John reminded us that "God sent his only Son into the world, that we might have life through him" ( 1 Jn 4:9). His words recall those of Jesus, who said that he came so that we might have life and have it abundantly (cf. Jn 10:10), and who ordered the healed paralytic: "Rise, take up your mat and walk" ( Mk 2:9). In these expressions we recognize the invitation to embrace maternally those who suffer, but at the same time to prepare and encourage those who have been wounded to get up and get back on the road, towards a free and dignified life.
Indeed, our charity must not be mere welfare, but is aimed at integrating people, for their full fulfillment—spiritual, intellectual, and physical—and their dignified and constructive inclusion in the community (cf. Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti , October 3, 2020, 129). Only in this way can our encounters, even in the face of difficult and painful events, become an opportunity to sow seeds of hope on humanity's journey toward a better future.
However, in light of the Word of God we have heard, I would like to reflect on one final characteristic of the Heart of Christ: humility (cf. Mt 11:29). The Heart of Jesus is humble, and therefore its beating is not felt by the "learned" and the "wise"—those who presume to be self-sufficient, to know everything, and to have no need of God or others. Indeed, these people, stunned by the echoes of a redundant, omnipresent, and restless "ego," lack the silence necessary to hear the hidden pulse of love within themselves and their brothers and sisters.
"Well-being often blinds us to the point that we think our happiness can only come from doing without others" (Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te , 4 October 2025, 108). Jesus teaches us, on the contrary, that to experience life's true joy, which is found in love, we must come down from the pedestals of divisive arrogance and encounter one another in the humility that unites us.
St. Augustine said: "Where there is charity, there is peace, and where there is humility, there is charity" ( In Epistolam Joannis ad Parthos , prologue). It's exactly so. Where there is authentic humility, there is love, and where there is love, there is peace, because only in humility do we truly know who we are and can therefore love one another, encounter one another, give one another, and forgive one another in truth.
Dearly beloved, today we adore the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which we often depict crowned with thorns and burning with flame, according to the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque . Let us remember that we are the living presence of the Lord in the world (cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council , Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium , 16 November 1964, 8). Let us therefore look at one another, not only on this day but always, with respect and trust, and let us renew, in this awareness, our commitment to complete in ourselves, in charity, what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the good of the Church (cf. Colossians 1:24 ). Inflamed by the charity of his Heart, let us become bearers of his mercy and his peace, so that wars may cease in the world and a new humanity, reconciled in love, may grow around us.
HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER
Gran Canaria Stadium (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Dear brothers and sisters, after a day filled with meetings and sharing, as I celebrate this Eucharist with you, I want first of all to thank the Lord for the great good that is accomplished here every day, entrusting to him the commitment of all and, at the same time, the suffering to which this land bears witness. I also invite you to pray together, in this Holy Mass, for the souls of our brothers and sisters who have lost their lives at sea.
We will place all this on the altar with the bread and wine, as we enter, with the evening celebration of the Vigil, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to which all of Spain is consecrated. Let us ask the Lord that at this moment the same sentiments of humanity, mercy, and compassion of the Savior's Heart may be alive within us.
We let ourselves be helped, in our meditation, by the Readings we have listened to.
In the first, God reminds the Israelites of the generosity with which he loved them. He chose them not because they had special prerogatives, gifts, or merits, but out of pure love (cf. Deut 7:7-9), and he will continue to love them always, even when, due to their hardened hearts, they do not reciprocate his feelings.
This is the charity of God, in which our vocation to love is rooted: not based on calculation, nor on mere sentiment, nor reducible to simple philanthropy, but pervasive throughout our entire being: fire for the soul, light for the mind, an irresistible impulse toward freedom, peace and at the same time torment for the heart, which beats in harmony with other hearts, involving the entire person. Because love is innate in man, indeed it is a condition of fullness in his very existence.
Such is love that appears to us in the humanity of the Savior and in the movements of his most sacred Heart: immutable and faithful even in the face of misunderstanding and rejection, fear, sadness and human resistance (see Luke 22:39-46).
And it is in this face of God, always "in love," totally and constantly desirous of our good and our complete happiness, that we recognize the path of life, learning a new way of existing and relating, a different yardstick for evaluating choices, a renewed and regenerating style of communion. Pope Francis , speaking of Christ's charity, said that "the best response to the love of his Heart is love for our brothers and sisters" (Encyclical Letter Dilexit nos , 24 October 2024, 167), adding: "there is no greater gesture we can offer him to reciprocate love for love" ( ibid .). "Requiting love for love": this is the marvelous exchange, the " admirabile commercium " (cf. First Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Most Holy, Mother of God , first antiphon) in which the Gospel invites us to engage, translating the infinite measure of God's love into the generosity with which we serve Him every day, in the brothers and sisters He himself places in our path, especially those most in need, the defenseless, and incapable of reciprocating (cf. Luke 6:32-36). Just as it happens on this island, in welcome, in sharing, in selfless giving.
The generosity of the Heart of Christ, however, does not stop there. It goes further, committing itself to helping each person not only to survive, but also to regain confidence and resume the journey, to grow and flourish fully in their uniqueness, for the good of all. In this regard, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that charity "to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life [...] is the principal driving force for the true development of every person and of all humanity" (Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate , 29 June 2009, 1).
In the second reading, Saint John reminded us that "God sent his only Son into the world, that we might have life through him" ( 1 Jn 4:9). His words recall those of Jesus, who said that he came so that we might have life and have it abundantly (cf. Jn 10:10), and who ordered the healed paralytic: "Rise, take up your mat and walk" ( Mk 2:9). In these expressions we recognize the invitation to embrace maternally those who suffer, but at the same time to prepare and encourage those who have been wounded to get up and get back on the road, towards a free and dignified life.
Indeed, our charity must not be mere welfare, but is aimed at integrating people, for their full fulfillment—spiritual, intellectual, and physical—and their dignified and constructive inclusion in the community (cf. Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti , October 3, 2020, 129). Only in this way can our encounters, even in the face of difficult and painful events, become an opportunity to sow seeds of hope on humanity's journey toward a better future.
However, in light of the Word of God we have heard, I would like to reflect on one final characteristic of the Heart of Christ: humility (cf. Mt 11:29). The Heart of Jesus is humble, and therefore its beating is not felt by the "learned" and the "wise"—those who presume to be self-sufficient, to know everything, and to have no need of God or others. Indeed, these people, stunned by the echoes of a redundant, omnipresent, and restless "ego," lack the silence necessary to hear the hidden pulse of love within themselves and their brothers and sisters.
"Well-being often blinds us to the point that we think our happiness can only come from doing without others" (Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te , 4 October 2025, 108). Jesus teaches us, on the contrary, that to experience life's true joy, which is found in love, we must come down from the pedestals of divisive arrogance and encounter one another in the humility that unites us.
St. Augustine said: "Where there is charity, there is peace, and where there is humility, there is charity" ( In Epistolam Joannis ad Parthos , prologue). It's exactly so. Where there is authentic humility, there is love, and where there is love, there is peace, because only in humility do we truly know who we are and can therefore love one another, encounter one another, give one another, and forgive one another in truth.
Dearly beloved, today we adore the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which we often depict crowned with thorns and burning with flame, according to the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque . Let us remember that we are the living presence of the Lord in the world (cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council , Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium , 16 November 1964, 8). Let us therefore look at one another, not only on this day but always, with respect and trust, and let us renew, in this awareness, our commitment to complete in ourselves, in charity, what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the good of the Church (cf. Colossians 1:24 ). Inflamed by the charity of his Heart, let us become bearers of his mercy and his peace, so that wars may cease in the world and a new humanity, reconciled in love, may grow around us.
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