Pope Leo XIV to Burundi pilgrims: Jesus is hope of Church & world. Honor slain Nuncio Courtney; keep hope alive for better world.
Newsroom (22/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday urged members of a Burundi fraternity dedicated to a slain apostolic nuncio to sustain their faith-fueled mission among the poor, declaring Jesus Christ “the Hope of the Church and of the entire world.”
Ahead of his weekly General Audience, Leo met with pilgrims from the Fraternity of Monsignor Courtney, who are on a Jubilee journey to Rome. The group honors Archbishop Michael Aidan Courtney, killed in an ambush near Bujumbura in 2003 amid Burundi’s civil war — the first nuncio to die violently in 500 years.
Jesus as ‘Our Hope’
Echoing Pope Francis’ vision for the 2025 Jubilee, Leo centered his address on hope incarnate. “Now our Hope is Jesus Christ! He, and He alone, is the Hope of the Church and of the entire world!” he proclaimed.
The Pope praised the pilgrims’ journey as an “act of faith” to recenter Jesus in personal and global life. Returning home, he said, they would be “strengthened in hope, better prepared to work for the integral development of every person in the light of the Gospel.”
Honoring a Martyr for Peace
Leo lauded the fraternity’s preservation of Courtney’s legacy — a diplomat who “gave his life for peace” serving Burundi’s vulnerable. “You are, in his memory, a Family close to the Pope in Burundi, which desires to be on mission among the poor and the little ones in the name of Christ,” he said.
Their efforts include building a health center in the archbishop’s honor, daily charitable works, and a memorial at the ambush site. Earlier this year, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin laid the health center’s foundation stone and blessed the monument.
Call to Persevere
In closing, Leo thanked the group and implored: “Keep the hope for a better world alive. Keep alive the certainty that, united with Christ, your efforts will bear fruit and receive their reward.”
He entrusted the pilgrims and all of Burundi to Our Lady of the Rosary before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, reinforcing the Holy See’s enduring solidarity with a nation scarred by conflict yet resilient in faith.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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