Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has called on the Catholic Church to engage more closely with the realities facing people today, especially those affected by injustice, discrimination, violence, poverty and other forms of suffering.
Speaking at the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on September 2, the Pope said the Church must not remain a passive observer of the rapid changes taking place in the world. Instead, Christians should listen to people, respond to their struggles and help carry their burdens.
Pope Leo made the remarks as he began a new phase of his catechesis on the documents of the Second Vatican Council. He focused on Gaudium et Spes, the 1965 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the modern world.
The Pope said Christian solidarity requires the Church to face reality honestly and recognise the contradictions present in modern society. He pointed to situations where technological and scientific progress benefits only some people, while many others continue to face hunger and poverty despite the world's wealth and resources.
He also highlighted the contradiction between growing awareness of the need to protect the planet and continued selfish consumption. He referred as well to the belief that war can create peace, despite the suffering and destruction it causes.
Against this background, Pope Leo said the Church is called to serve the human person by listening to people's deepest questions and hopes and by pointing to Christ as central to human history.
The Pope also recalled the words of Pope St. John XXIII, who addressed the Second Vatican Council in 1962. John XXIII challenged the idea that his generation was necessarily living in a worse period than those that came before it. He stressed the need to recognise the role of Divine Providence in the events of history, including difficult circumstances.
Pope Leo explained that Gaudium et Spes expresses the Church's close connection with humanity. He said that just as Jesus Christ shared human life through the Incarnation, the Church is called to be involved in the lives and experiences of people.
The Constitution states that the Church shares the joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties of people today, particularly those who are poor or suffering. Pope Leo said this also reflects the Church's responsibility to examine the signs of the times and understand them in the light of the Gospel.
The Pope placed particular emphasis on people living in poverty and other vulnerable situations. Referring to Pope Francis, he said the Church's option for the poor is not simply a social or political position but a theological one.
He encouraged Christians to recognise Christ in those who suffer, listen to them, support their causes and become their friends. He said their experiences can also help the Church understand the wisdom that God wishes to share through them.
Pope Leo concluded by expressing hope that joy and hope, the meaning of Gaudium et Spes, would remain defining features of a Church that proclaims the Gospel while staying close to the people of its time.