At Sunday’s Angelus, Pope Leo XIV urges believers to open their hearts to grace, renewal, and peace amid a world torn by conflict.
Newsroom (23/03/2026 Gaudium Press )Despite steady rain falling over Rome on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, St. Peter’s Square was filled with thousands of faithful raising their eyes toward the Apostolic Palace windows, where Pope Leo XIV delivered his reflection on the Gospel account of the resurrection of Lazarus. His message — poignant, pastoral, and deeply human — invited the world to rediscover the fullness of life in God’s grace, to step out of the tombs of self-absorption and despair, and to walk once more in light and love.
Speaking before leading the midday Angelus, Pope Leo reflected on Jesus’ miraculous raising of Lazarus, describing it as “a sign that speaks of Christ’s victory over death and of the gift of eternal life, which we receive through Baptism.” The Pope recalled Jesus’ words to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.”
Preparing the Heart for Holy Week
As the Church approaches Holy Week, the Pope reminded the faithful of the profound meaning behind these final days of Lent, when Christians relive the mysteries of Christ’s Passion — His entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the trial, crucifixion, and burial. “These events,” Pope Leo reflected, “are fulfilled in the risen Christ, who has conquered death and lives within us through Baptism, for our salvation and the fullness of life.”
Holy Week, he explained, is not a mere historical remembrance but a spiritual renewal: a time to encounter God’s mercy and to embrace transformation. “God’s grace illumines the world,” the Pope said, warning against the distractions and illusions that fracture human purpose — the restless search for novelty, fame, material possessions, and fleeting pleasures.
He cautioned that these pursuits, though dazzling, often consume time and dull the soul: “As if fame, material goods, entertainment, and fleeting relationships could fill our hearts or make us immortal.”
The Call to Step into the Light
In his homily, Pope Leo turned to the image of Lazarus’ tomb as a mirror for every human heart caught in the shadows of selfishness or indifference. “The resurrection of Lazarus invites us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to free our hearts from habits, conditioning, and ways of thinking which, like boulders, shut us away in the tomb of materialism and superficiality,” he said.
With a voice that resonated across the square, the Pope urged believers: “Jesus also cries out to us: ‘Come out!’” His call, the Pope explained, is both an invitation and a command — to break free from the weight of ego and to walk, renewed, in the light of love. “To become new women and men, capable of hoping and loving without calculation or measure, according to the model of His infinite charity.”
In closing his reflection, Pope Leo entrusted the faithful to the Virgin Mary, asking that they may live the coming holy days with her faith and fidelity, so that “the glorious experience of encountering her risen Son may be renewed in us each day.”
A Cry for Peace Amid Global Turmoil
After reciting the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV shifted his attention to the crises shaking the global community, issuing a heartfelt plea for peace and an end to war. “We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, innocent victims of these conflicts,” he said solemnly.
The Pope spoke as reports emerged of intensifying violence across the Middle East. The conflict, now entering its 23rd day, has claimed more than a thousand lives in Lebanon and at least 1,444 in Iran, with thousands more wounded. Israeli towns have been struck by missile fire, and Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have intercepted drones and rockets in their airspace. “This continuous violence wounds everyone,” the Pope lamented. “What harms them, harms all humanity.”
He called the death and suffering of civilians “a scandal to the entire human family and a cry before God,” urging that “paths of peace, based on sincere dialogue and respect for human dignity,” be opened without delay. “Let us persevere in prayer,” he concluded, “that hostilities may cease and reconciliation triumph.”
Sign of Hope in the Heart of Rome
Before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, the Pontiff greeted the thousands of runners participating in the Rome Marathon, whose route wound through the city even as prayers rose above St. Peter’s Square. Smiling, Pope Leo remarked that seeing athletes from around the world was “a sign of hope,” wishing that the spirit of sport might “create paths of peace, social inclusion, and spirituality.”
Even under grey skies, the Pope’s message — a blend of faith, compassion, and moral urgency — shone brightly. Like Lazarus, he seemed to say, the human spirit can once more hear the call of the Lord: “Come out!”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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