In his first Angelus address of 2026, Pope Leo urged believers to pray for peace among nations and within families, calling for renewed hope and unity.
Newsroom (02/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) Standing before some 40,000 faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square on the first day of 2026, Pope Leo XIV opened the new year with an appeal that spoke to both nations and individual hearts: pray for peace in our world and our families. Delivering his first Angelus address of the year on the World Day of Peace, the Holy Father reflected on the lessons of the Jubilee and invited the faithful “to renew our times by finally ushering in an era of peace and friendship among all peoples.”
The Pope urged believers not only to wish for peace among nations “bloodied by conflict and suffering,” but also to seek reconciliation “within our homes, in families wounded by violence and pain.” Peace, he stressed, cannot exist without personal conversion—without transforming hearts through God’s grace.
Hope Born of Conversion
Reflecting on the passing of the Jubilee Year, Pope Leo said this sacred period had taught the Church “how to cultivate hope for a new world.” That hope, he explained, begins in “converting our hearts to God” so that humanity may “transform wrongs into forgiveness, pain into consolation, and resolutions of virtue into good works.”
By opening their hearts to God, he continued, the faithful allow “God himself to dwell in history and save it from oblivion,” offering the world redemption through Jesus Christ. The Pope spoke of this transformation not as an abstract ideal, but as a daily effort to build “a welcoming home for every man and woman who comes into the world.”
Mary, the First to Hear the Heartbeat of God
On the Solemnity of Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God, Pope Leo directed the Church’s gaze toward Mary as “the first to experience Christ’s beating heart.” In her silent faith, he said, the “Word of life presents himself as a heartbeat of grace.”
The Pope reflected on the intimacy of God’s relationship with humanity, saying that in becoming man, God “makes His Heart known to us.” The Heart of Jesus, he emphasized, “beats for every man and woman”—for the righteous and unrighteous alike—offering perseverance to the good and conversion to those who have strayed.
Inviting the faithful to “adore” the mystery of the Incarnation, Pope Leo described it as a revelation of “the divine image imprinted in our humanity,” one that shines forth in Mary and “is reflected in every unborn child.”
A Peace That Is “Unarmed and Disarming”
After the recitation of the Angelus prayer, Pope Leo addressed the crowd with gratitude and hope. Marking the 58th celebration of the World Day of Peace—an observance established by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1968—the Holy Father recalled the blessing that first came to him upon his election: “Peace be with you all.”
He described peace as “unarmed and disarming,” a gift from God’s unconditional love that is nonetheless “entrusted to our responsibility.” To fulfill that responsibility, he said, humanity must begin immediately: “With the grace of Christ, let us start today to build a year of peace, disarming our hearts and refraining from all violence.”
Witnesses for Peace
The Pope expressed appreciation for peace initiatives around the world, drawing attention to the national march held in Catania on New Year’s Eve and to a similar event organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio. He also extended greetings to a visiting delegation of students and teachers from Richland, New Jersey.
In a moment that fused spiritual benediction with historical memory, Pope Leo recalled that this year marks the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis of Assisi’s death. Adopting the saint’s blessing from Scripture, the Pope offered his final words to the faithful:
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”
A New Year, A Renewed Heart
As the bells of St. Peter’s marked the first hours of 2026, Pope Leo’s message resonated as both a challenge and an invitation—to renew not just calendars, but consciences. “Without this desire for the good,” he warned, “there would be no point in turning the pages of the calendar and filling our diaries.”
His closing wish was simple but profound: that Mary, Mother of God, “guide us on our journey in the new year.”
And with that, he offered his final greeting to the world—“Dear brothers and sisters, happy New Year.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
Related Images:
