Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has called on Christians to make love for others an essential part of their faith, stressing that a genuine relationship with God must lead to care and concern for the people around them.
Speaking during the Sunday Angelus in Saint Peter’s Square on October 25, the Pope reflected on the greatest commandment in the Gospel of Matthew. He explained that love for God and love for one's neighbour cannot be separated, as both are central to Christian life.
The Pope focused on the Gospel passage in which a teacher of the Law asks Jesus which commandment is the greatest. Jesus responds by calling people to love God with all their heart, soul and mind. He then identifies love for one's neighbour as oneself as the second commandment.
Pope Leo explained that faith involves more than accepting God's existence or recognising His power. God desires a personal relationship with every person, inviting them into a close and loving communion with Him.
He said that love cannot be imposed as an obligation. Instead, genuine love for God grows from a personal encounter with Him and a response to the love He offers first. This relationship requires the involvement of the whole person, including the heart, soul and mind.
The Pope also highlighted how a close relationship with God changes the way people see themselves and others. By learning to view others through the eyes of Christ, Christians can move beyond selfishness and become more attentive to the needs of those around them.
He explained that love also changes the understanding of self love, turning it away from selfish interests and towards charity. In this way, a person's life becomes a gift to others through acts of kindness, care and service.
Reflecting on the importance of love in the Church, Pope Leo recalled the teaching of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who described love as the force that inspires the Church's life and mission. Her reflection highlights how love enables Christians to share the Gospel and serve others meaningfully.
The Pope warned that without love, faith would lose its essential meaning, good works could become mere moral obligations, and hope would lose its purpose. He stressed that love for God must be expressed through love for others, who share the same heavenly Father.
Concluding his reflection, Pope Leo invited the faithful to pray for a new heart capable of understanding and living out the greatest commandment. He entrusted this prayer to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose Immaculate Heart, he said, is filled with love.