Vatican City: In a deeply reflective address during the Jubilee for Justice, Pope Leo XIV called on both Church and civil legal professionals to ensure that justice is exercised not merely as a duty, but as a virtue animated by wisdom, love, and mercy. Speaking to a large gathering of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope emphasized that justice is indispensable not only for the orderly functioning of society but also as a moral compass guiding every individual’s conscience.
Invoking the biblical exhortation to “love justice and avoid evil,” Pope Leo XIV reminded attendees that the classical definition of justice “rendering to each one his due” though foundational, falls short of capturing the deeper human longing for fairness and dignity. He stressed that true justice encompasses human dignity, the common good, and the structures that govern communal life. “Justice unites the dignity of the person, his or her relationship with others, and the communal dimension of coexistence, with its structures and shared rules,” he said.
The Pope elaborated that justice is foremost a virtue: “a firm and stable disposition that orders our conduct according to reason and faith,” characterized by the unwavering will to render both God and neighbor their due. Yet, he argued, the Gospel introduces the idea of “a higher justice,” one in which mercy becomes the guiding principle. Forgiveness, Pope Leo explained, is central to this vision, enabling justice to move beyond mere punishment toward reconciliation. Evangelical justice, he noted, “questions and reshapes human justice, challenging it to always go further, because it impels it toward reconciliation.”
Acknowledging contemporary societal challenges, Pope Leo warned against growing discrimination and systemic barriers that prevent access to justice. True equality, he argued, goes beyond formal legal equality to encompass the genuine ability of all individuals to realize their aspirations and have their inherent rights respected. “The possibility granted to all to fulfill their aspirations and see the rights inherent to their dignity guaranteed by a system of shared values,” he said, is the hallmark of authentic justice.
Extending his reflections to the global stage, Pope Leo XIV underscored that many countries and peoples continue to “hunger and thirst for justice” due to inequitable and inhumane conditions. Quoting Saint Augustine, he reminded his audience that “without justice, the State cannot be governed; it is impossible for there to be law in a State where there is no true justice.” Justice, he said, must direct individuals toward God, warning that human systems disconnected from divine principles cannot achieve true justice.
Concluding his address, Pope Leo XIV encouraged all participants to commit to the “full exercise of justice in the service of the people, with eyes fixed on God,” combining mercy, righteousness, and the defense of human dignity. His message resonated as a call to integrate moral virtue, societal responsibility, and spiritual insight, reaffirming that justice, when animated by love and wisdom, becomes a transformative force in both human and divine realms.