Pope Leo XIV calls for renewed courage and holiness in living Vatican II’s message of justice, peace, and dialogue in today’s globalized world.
Newsroom (07/01/2026 Gaudium Press )In his first general audience of 2026, Pope Leo XIV opened a new series of catecheses titled “The Second Vatican Council Through Its Documents”, urging the faithful to rediscover the Council’s prophetic vitality. Addressing around 7,000 pilgrims gathered in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope said the aim is to “rediscover the beauty and importance of this ecclesial event” and to find concrete ways to live out its insights in today’s world.
“The Second Vatican Council helped us open ourselves to the world and recognize the changes and challenges of the modern era through dialogue and shared responsibility,” the Pontiff affirmed, emphasizing that the Church must still work to “more fully realize ecclesial reform in a ministerial key.”
Church as a Mystery of Communion
Pope Leo XIV highlighted that Vatican II rediscovered the image of God as Father who calls humanity to be His children in Christ. The Council viewed the Church as a mystery of communion and a sacrament of unity between God and His people. It also initiated a significant liturgical reform centered on the mystery of salvation and the conscious, active participation of all believers.
He noted that this renewal has allowed the Church to embrace the hopes and anxieties of the world, extending its arms in solidarity. Quoting Paul VI, the Pope recalled how the Council made the Church “word, message, and dialogue,” calling believers to pursue truth through ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, and collaboration with all people of goodwill.
Continuing the Ecclesial Reform
The Pope urged that Vatican II’s vision still awaits fuller realization. “We must remain attentive interpreters of the signs of the times, joyful heralds of the Gospel, and courageous witnesses of justice and peace,” he said. True reform, he added, will not come from “structures or methods,” but from deeper and broader holiness—an exhortation inspired by Albino Luciani, later Pope John Paul I.
Recalling Paul VI’s message to the Council Fathers at its conclusion, Leo XIV reminded the faithful that it is time to “go forth to meet humanity,” carrying to the world the Good News of the Gospel after living a moment of grace that united past, present, and future.
Bringing the Kingdom of God to the World
The Pope echoed Paul VI’s 1965 message, which looked upon the Church’s heritage with gratitude and turned compassionately toward a world marked by suffering yet rich in achievements and virtues. He pointed to the enduring “imperious call of peoples for greater justice” and a global yearning for peace.
Leo XIV invited all to approach the documents of Vatican II anew, to rediscover their prophetic meaning and relevance, to question the present, and to run toward humanity — bearing witness to the Kingdom of God, “a kingdom of love, justice, and peace.”
At the conclusion of the audience, the Pope blessed the sick, greeted pilgrims in the atrium and courtyard, and warmly exchanged words with those unable to find space inside the Paul VI Hall.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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