Homily of Pope Leo XIV at the start of his pontificate

This May 18, Pope Leo XIV celebrated in the Plaza de San Pedro the inauguration Mass of his pontificate, with a call to build “a church founded on the love of God and a sign of unity”, that he is a missionary and open his arms to the world, “which announces the word, which is questioned by history, and that becomes a ferment of Concord for humanity”.

Next, the full homily of Leo XIV:

Dear Cardinal Brothers, brothers in the Episcopate and in the priesthood, distinguished authorities and members of the diplomatic corps, brothers and sisters:

I greet them all with a heart full of gratitude, at the beginning of the ministry that has been entrusted to me. San Agustín wrote: “You have made us for you, (sir,) and our heart is restless until you rest in you” (Confessions1,1.1).

In recent days, we have lived a particularly intense time. The death of Pope Francis has filled our hearts with sadness and, in those difficult hours, we have felt like those crowds that the Gospel describes “as sheep who do not have a pastor” (Mt 9,36). Precisely on Easter Day we received his last blessing and, in the light of the resurrection, we face that moment with the certainty that the Lord never abandons his people, gathers him when he is scattered and takes care of him “as a shepherd to his flock” (Jr 31,10).

With this spirit of faith, the Cardinals College met for the conclave; Arriving with different personal stories and paths, we have put in the hands of God the desire to choose the new successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome, a pastor capable of guarding the rich heritage of the Christian faith and, at the same time, of looking beyond, to know how to face the questions, the concerns and the challenges of today. Accompanied by their prayers, we have experienced the work of the Holy Spirit, which has managed to harmonize the different musical instruments, vibrating the strings of our heart in a single melody.

I was chosen without having any merit and, with fear and trepidation, I come to you like a brother That he wants to become a servant of his faith and his joy, walking with you on the path of the love of God, who loves us all united in a single family.

Love and unity: These are the two dimensions of the mission that Jesus entrusted to Peter.

It is told that passage from the Gospel that leads us to Lake Tiberíades, the same where Jesus had begun the mission received from the Father: “fish” to humanity to save her from the waters of evil and death. Going through the shore of that lake, he had called Pedro the first disciples to be like him “fishermen of men”; And now, after the resurrection, it corresponds precisely to them carry out this mission: do not stop launching the network to immerse the hope of the Gospel in the waters of the world; Navigate in the sea of ​​life so that everyone can meet in the hug of God.

How can Pedro carry out this task? The Gospel tells us that it is possible only because he has experienced in his own life the infinite and unconditional love of God, even in the hour of failure and denial. Therefore, when it is Jesus who addresses Peter, the Gospel uses the Greek verb agapao —What refers to the love that God has for us, his delivery without reservations or calculations -, different from the verb used for Pedro’s response, which instead describes the love of friendship, which we exchange between us.

When Jesus asks Peter: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (Jn 21,16), therefore indicates the love of the father. It is as if Jesus told him: only if you have known and experienced the love of God, which never fails, you can feed my lambs; Only in the love of God the Father you can love your brothers “even more”, that is, until he offers life for them.

Pedro, then, is entrusted with the task of “loving even more” and giving his life for the flock. Pedro’s ministry is marked precisely by this oblative love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never about catching others with submission, with religious propaganda or with the means of power, but is always and only to love as Jesus did.

He – says the same apostle Peter – “It is the stone that you, the builders, have rejected, and has become the cornerstone” (Hch 4.11). And if the stone is Christ, Peter must feed the flock without ever giving up to the temptation to be a lonely leader or a boss who is above others, becoming the owner of the people who have been confident (cf. 1 P 5.3); On the contrary, he is asked to serve the faith of his brothers, walking along with them. All, in effect, have been constituted “living stones” (1 P 2,5), called with our baptism to build the building of God in fraternal communion, in the harmony of the spirit, in the coexistence of differences. As St. Augustine affirms: “All those who live in Concord with the brothers and love their neighbors are those who make up the Church” (Sermon 359,9).

Brothers and sisters, I would like this to be our first great desire: a united church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes ferment for a reconciled world.

In our time, we see even too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudices, fear of the different, by an economic paradigm that exploits the resources of the earth and marginalizes the poorest. And we want to be, within this mass, a small yeast of unity, communion and fraternity. We want to tell the world, with humility and joy: Look at Christ! Stop him! They welcome your word that illuminates and comforts!

Listen to your love proposal to form your only family: In the only Christ we are one. And this is the way we have to go together, united among us, but also with the Christian sisters, with whom other religious paths travel, with those who cultivate the concern of the search for God, with all women and men of good will, to build a new world where peace reigns.

This is the missionary spirit that must encourage us, without locking us in our small group or feel superior to the world; We are called to offer God’s love to all, so that that unity that does not cancel the differences, but values ​​the personal history of each one and the social and religious culture of each people.

Brothers, sisters, this is the time of love! The charity of God, which makes us brothers among us, is the heart of the Gospel. With my predecessor Leo XIII, today we can ask ourselves: if this charity prevailed in the world, “didn’t it seem to be extinguished soon all struggle where she went into force in civil society?” (Letter en. Of the revolutionary20).

With the light and strength of the Holy Spirit, we build a church founded on the love of God and a sign of unity, a missionary church, which opens the arms to the world, which announces the word, which is questioned by history, and which becomes a ferment of Concord for humanity.

Together, like a single people, all as brothers, let’s walk towards God and love each other.