During his weekly General Audience at the Vatican on Wednesday May 5, 2026, Pope Leo XIV said the Church has the mission of speaking clearly against everything that destroys human life and dignity, while proclaiming the salvation brought by Christ to all humanity.
Reflecting on Chapter VII of the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, the Pope described the Church as the pilgrim people of God journeying through history toward its heavenly homeland. He explained that the Church draws strength from God’s promise and interprets the events of history through the light of the Gospel.
“The Church is the pilgrim people of God on earth who, drawing precisely on the final promise, reads and interprets the dynamics of history through the Gospel, denouncing evil in all its forms and proclaiming, in word and deed, the salvation that Christ wishes to bring about for all humanity and His Kingdom,” the Pope said.
The Holy Father emphasized that the Church must courageously reject everything that mortifies life and prevents human development. He added that the Church is called to stand with the poor, the exploited, victims of violence and war, and all those suffering physically and spiritually.
Pope Leo XIV also reminded the faithful that the Church’s mission is not to proclaim itself, but to lead humanity toward salvation in Christ and the coming Kingdom of God, founded on love, justice, and peace.
At the same time, the Pope noted that no ecclesial institution should be treated as absolute, since all institutions exist within history and are therefore called to continual conversion, renewal, and reform in order to faithfully fulfil their mission.
Quoting Lumen gentium, the Pope highlighted that the Church is the “universal sacrament of salvation,” meaning it is both a sign and an instrument of the fullness of life and peace that God desires for humanity.
He further explained that believers’ journey through life sustained by hope, despite the injustices and sufferings present in the world, because they are guided by God’s promise to “make all things new.”
The Pope also reflected on the communion between Christians on earth and those who have already died, saying that all believers form one Church united in Christ. He encouraged the faithful to pray for the departed and follow the example of those who lived faithfully as disciples of Jesus.
Pope Leo XIV concluded by expressing gratitude to the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council for emphasizing this important dimension of Christian life and encouraged Christians to cultivate it in their daily lives.
