Pope Leo reflects on humility in Luke 18:9-14, urging honesty and mercy. He prays for Mexico flood victims and peace, greeting global pilgrims.
Newsroom (27/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) In his Sunday Angelus address, Pope Leo offered a profound meditation on the Gospel of Luke (18:9-14), which contrasts the prayers of a Pharisee and a tax collector in the Temple, urging the faithful to embrace humility and seek God’s mercy.
The Pope described the Pharisee as a figure of self-righteousness, proudly listing his merits and good deeds while looking down on others. “He stands with his head held high,” the Pope noted, critiquing the Pharisee’s attitude as one of “presumption” and a transactional view of faith, “devoid of mercy.” In contrast, the tax collector, a man burdened by his role as a collaborator with the Roman Empire and often despised for exploiting his own people, approaches God with humility. Standing at the back of the Temple, head bowed, he prays simply, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Lk 18:13).
Pope Leo emphasized that it is the tax collector who leaves “justified,” forgiven, and renewed. His courage to confront his sins openly, without pretense, allows him to encounter God’s grace. Quoting St. Augustine, the Pope likened the Pharisee to a patient too proud to reveal his wounds to a doctor, while the tax collector, in humility, “lays bare his wounds” and seeks healing. “It is not by flaunting our merits that we are saved, nor by hiding our mistakes,” the Pope said, “but by presenting ourselves honestly before God.”
The Holy Father called on the faithful to emulate the tax collector’s humility, urging them to acknowledge their faults, take responsibility, and entrust themselves to God’s mercy. Through such openness, he said, God’s Kingdom—rooted in humility, prayer, and acts of forgiveness and gratitude—can flourish.
Post-Angelus Appeals: Solidarity with Mexico and a Call for Peace
Following the Angelus, Pope Leo expressed solidarity with the people of eastern Mexico, recently devastated by severe flooding. “I pray for the families and all who are suffering because of this calamity,” he said, entrusting the deceased to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Pope also renewed his call for peace, emphasizing the power of communal prayer through the Holy Rosary. “As we contemplate the mysteries of Christ with Mary, we make our own the suffering and hope of those affected by war,” he said, praising the “gestures of evangelical charity” and solidarity from peacemakers worldwide. Quoting the Beatitudes, he declared, “Blessed are the peacemakers!”
The Pope concluded by greeting pilgrims from around the world, including groups from Spain, Paraguay, Brazil, and the Cuban community in Europe, as well as various Italian parishes and organizations. He extended special recognition to the Reparatrix Sisters of the Sacred Heart, celebrating their 150th anniversary, and wished all a “pleasant Sunday.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican.va
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