Vatican City: During his Regina Caeli address at the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV reminded the faithful that Jesus Christ loves humanity with an unconditional and lasting love, and said this divine love helps people learn how to truly love one another.
Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square, Pope reflected on the Gospel reading from St John in which Jesus tells His disciples during the Last Supper, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Pope explained that these words should not be understood as a threat or condition for receiving God’s love. Instead, he said God loves people first, and that love gives them the strength to follow His commandments and live according to His will.
He said many people wrongly believe that God loves them only when they perfectly obey His commands. However, Pope stressed that God’s love comes before everything else and is the foundation of Christian life.
According to the Holy Father, Jesus was inviting His followers into a relationship of trust and love rather than placing burdens upon them. He said Christ’s message was never meant to create fear or suspicion, but to open hearts to the experience of being loved by God.
Pope noted that Jesus Himself is the perfect example of true love because His love is faithful, pure and unconditional. He said Christians are called to love one another in the same way Christ has loved humanity.
“It is Jesus’ love that begets love within us,” Pope said, explaining that people can truly love others only after first receiving and recognizing God’s love in their own lives.
Using a simple comparison, Pope said just as only those who have received life can truly live, only those who have been loved can genuinely love others. He added that God’s commandments are not restrictions meant to control people but rather a path that leads toward healing, freedom and salvation.
Pope also reassured believers that Christ never abandons His followers during times of suffering and difficulty. He recalled Jesus’ promise to send the Paraclete, or the Holy Spirit, whom he described as the Advocate and the Spirit of truth.
Pope encouraged Christians to remain witnesses to God’s love even in a world marked by conflict, division and suffering. He warned that forces of evil often try to create hatred and separation among people.
Referring to the devil as the “father of lies,” Pope said the enemy seeks to oppose truth and turn people against one another. In contrast, he said the Holy Spirit gives believers the strength to live in truth, unity and love.
At the end of the Regina Caeli prayer, Pope Leo urged the faithful to remain grateful for the enduring and unconditional love of Christ. He also invited them to entrust themselves to the care and intercession of the Virgin Mary.
The Regina Caeli prayer replaces the Angelus during the Easter season and is traditionally recited by Pope each Sunday from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square.