Papal Angelus Address on the Solemnity of the Epiphany 01.06.2026

 

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• Pope Leo XIV
• Epiphany
• Angelus

Pope's Epiphany Angelus: 'May industry of war be replaced by craft of peace'

Pope Leo XIV prays the Angelus on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, reflecting on the Magi adoring the Christ Child, and invites us to be 'weavers of hope' where 'in the place of inequality, there may be fairness,' and where 'the industry of war be replaced by the craft of peace.'

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"In the gifts of the Magi, we see what each one of us can share, what we can no longer keep for ourselves but are to give to others, so that the presence of Jesus can grow in our midst."

Pope Leo XIV expressed this in his Angelus address today, January 6, 2026, for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. After the Mass for the Solemnity this morning in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo gave his Angelus address at noon and led the recitation of the midday prayer with the faithful in Saint Peter’s Square.

The Three Kings' journey, departure, and precious gift giving to Baby Jesus, Pope Leo told the faithful, is a powerful reminder that we are to give all ourselves and all that we have to Jesus, "our inestimable treasure." 

What kneeling before Infant of Bethlehem also means for us

"Kneeling like the Magi before the Infant of Bethlehem means, also for us," Pope Leo expressed, "to profess having found that true humanity in which the glory of God shines forth." 

"In Jesus," he reminded, "the true life appears, the living man, the one who does not exist for himself but is open and in communion, who teaches us to say, 'on earth as it is in heaven.'” (Mt 6:10). 

In this context, the Pope underscored, "the divine life is within our reach" and "it is made manifest so that we might be included in its dynamic freedom, which loosens the bonds of fear and enables us to encounter peace. "

Stressing that this represents both a possibility and an invitation,  since "communion cannot be constrained," the Pope asked: "What else could we desire more than this?"

The risk-taking and gift giving of the Magi

Reflecting on Saint Matthew's Gospel account, and what we see in our nativity scenes, the Pope recalled how the Magi present to the Baby Jesus several precious gifts, namely gold, frankincense and myrrh.

"They may not seem to be useful for a baby, but they express a desire that gives us much to reflect on as we reach the end of the Jubilee year," namely that, "the greatest gift is to give everything."

From a different perspective, but to illustrate the same point, Pope Leo remembered "that poor widow, noticed by Jesus, who put into the Temple treasury her last two pennies, all that she had."

Our inestimable treasure

The Pope recognized that we do not know anything about the possessions of the Magi, who came from the East, "but their departure, their risk-taking and their gifts themselves suggest that everything, truly everything that we are and possess needs to be offered to Jesus, who is our inestimable treasure." 

The Pope then turned to the Jubilee of Hope which concluded today with the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica.

"For its part," he said, "the Jubilee has reminded us of the justice founded on gratuitousness, of the original jubilee prescriptions, which included a call for the integration of peaceful living, a redistribution of the land and its resources, and a restoration of “what one has” and “what one is” to the designs of God, which are greater than ours."

Hope must be grounded in reality

With this in mind, Pope Leo stressed, "the hope that we proclaim must be grounded in reality, for Jesus came down from heaven in order to create a new story here below." 

He expressed therefore that in our recalling the Magi's gifts, that we likewise consider what we can personally share with others, to help magnify Christ's presence, so that His Kingdom may grow, His words come to fulfilment in us, and strangers and enemies become brothers and sisters.  

"In the place of inequality, may there be fairness, and may the industry of war be replaced by the craft of peace," Pope Leo said.  

"As weavers of hope," he concluded, "let us journey together towards the future by another road."

Celebrating Missionary Childhood Day

After he imparted his Apostolic Blessing, Pope Leo XIV greeted all those gathered in Saint Peter's Square and offered them his "good wishes for the New Year in the light of the Risen Christ."

He also recalled that the Solemnity of the Epiphany also marks Missionary Childhood Day. He greeted and thanked children and young people who around the world pray for missionaries and are committed to helping their less fortunate peers. 

Finally, the Pope also addressed the ecclesial communities of the East, who on January 7 will celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar, praying that the Lord Jesus may grant them and their families serenity and peace.

Pope Leo XIV closes the last Jubilee Holy Door, celebrates Mass for the Epiphany

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• Pope Leo XIV
• Epiphany
• mass
• #JUBILEE2025
• jubilee

Pope Leo XIV closes the Holy Door, concluding Jubilee Year of Hope on the Lord's Epiphany

On the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Leo XIV presides over Holy Mass in St Peter’s Basilica for some 5,800 faithful and closes the last Holy Door - marking the official end of the Jubilee Year of Hope.

Vatican News

On Tuesday, marking the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Pope Leo XIV presided over Holy Mass in St Peter’s Basilica for some 5,800 faithful.

At the start of the Mass, the Pope closed the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica, the last of the Holy Doors opened for the Jubilee Year. The gesture marked the end of months in which “a stream of innumerable men and women, pilgrims of hope,” crossed the threshold of the Basilica, journeying toward what the Pope described as “the new Jerusalem, the city whose doors are always open.”

The Magi and Herod

Reflecting on the Gospel of the Day, taken from Matthew, the Pope in his homily focused on the joy of the Magi and the fear of Herod, noting that Scripture never hides the tension that accompanies God’s manifestation. “Every time Sacred Scripture speaks of God manifesting himself,” he said, “it does not hide the contrasting reactions, such as joy and agitation, resistance and obedience, fear and longing.” The Epiphany, he added, reveals a God whose presence never leaves things as they are: “Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, aware that in his presence nothing stays the same.”

This divine appearing, the Pope continued, marks the beginning of hope. God’s presence “puts an end to that type of melancholic complacency which causes people endlessly to say, ‘There is nothing new under the sun.’” Instead, “something new begins which determines the present and the future,” fulfilling the prophetic promise: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

Yet it is Jerusalem, the Pope continued - a city accustomed to revelation, that is troubled by the Magi’s search. Those who know the Scriptures and “think they have all the answers,” the Pope noted, “seem to have lost the ability to ask questions and cultivate a sense of longing.” The city is unsettled by those who arrive “moved by hope,” threatened by what should instead be a source of joy. “This reaction,” he said, “also challenges us as a Church.”

The searching of today’s men and women

Reflecting then on the Jubilee, Pope Leo invited the faithful to consider the spiritual searching of today’s men and women. “Who were these men and women, and what motivated them?” he asked. “What did they find? What was in their hearts, their questions, their feelings?” Like the Magi, he said, many still feel compelled to set out. “The Magi still exist today,” he stressed. They are those who “sense the need to go out and search, accepting the risks associated with their journey,” even in a world that is often “unpleasant and dangerous.”

The Gospel, the Pope said, calls the Church not to fear this movement of searching humanity, but “to appreciate it, and orient it toward God who sustains us.” This is not a God who can be controlled. “He is a God who can unsettle us because he does not remain firmly in our hands like the idols of silver and gold; instead, he is alive and life-giving, like the Baby whom Mary cradled in her arms and whom the wise men adored.”

For this reason, holy places must communicate life. Jubilee pilgrimage sites, the Pope said, “must diffuse the aroma of life, the unforgettable realisation that another world has begun.” He then posed the question: “Is there life in our Church? Is there space for something new to be born? Do we love and proclaim a God who sets us on a journey?”

In contrast there is Herod, whose fear of losing power distorts his response to God’s action. Herod, the Pope noted, “fears for his throne and is agitated about those things that he feels are beyond his control.” Fear, he warned, “does indeed blind us.” The joy of the Gospel, by contrast, “liberates us,” making believers “prudent, yes, but also bold, attentive and creative,” and opening paths “different to those already traveled.”

At the heart of the Epiphany

At the heart of the Epiphany, said Pope Leo, bringing a close to his homily, stands a gift that cannot be bought or controlled. “The child whom the Magi adore is a priceless and immeasurable Good.” His revelation does not take place “in a prestigious location, but in humble place,” and yet to Bethlehem it is said: “You are by no means least.”

“It is wonderful to become pilgrims of hope,” the Pope said. “It is wonderful for us to continue to be pilgrims together.” Finally, he concluded, if the Church resists becoming a monument and remains a home, he concluded, she may yet become “the generation of a new dawn,” guided always by Mary, Star of the Morning, toward “an extraordinary humanity, transformed not by the delusions of the all-powerful, but by God who became flesh out of love.”

Saint of the Day for Tuesday

 

St. Andre Bessette

Feastday: January 6
Beatified: Pope John Paul II
Canonized: October 17, 2010, Saint Peter's Square, Rome, by Pope Benedict XVI

When Alfred Bessette came to the Holy Cross Brothers in 1870, he carried with him a note from his pastor saying, "I am sending you a saint." The Brothers found that difficult to believe. Chronic stomach pains had made it impossible for Alfred to hold a job very long and since he was a boy he had wandered from shop to shop, farm to farm, in his native Canada and in the United States, staying only until his employers found out how little work he could do. The Holy Cross Brothers were teachers and, at 25, Alfred still did not know how to read and write. It seemed as if Alfred approached the religious order out of desperation, not vocation.

Alfred was desperate, but he was also prayerful and deeply devoted to God and Saint Joseph. He may have had no place left to go, but he believed that was because this was the place he felt he should have been all along.

The Holy Cross Brothers took him into the novitiate but soon found out what others had learned -- as hard as Alfred, now Brother Andre, wanted to work, he simply wasn't strong enough. They asked him to leave the order, but Andre, out of desperation again, appealed to a visiting bishop who promised him that Andre would stay and take his vows.

After his vows, Brother Andre was sent to Notre Dame College in Montreal (a school for boys age seven to twelve) as a porter. There his responsibilities were to answer the door, to welcome guests, find the people they were visiting, wake up those in the school, and deliver mail. Brother Andre joked later, "At the end of my novitiate, my superiors showed me the door, and I stayed there for forty years."

In 1904, he surprised the Archbishop of Montreal if he could, by requesting permission to build a chapel to Saint Joseph on the mountain near the college. The Archbishop refused to go into debt and would only give permission for Brother Andre to build what he had money for. What money did Brother Andre have? Nickels he had collected as donations for Saint Joseph from haircuts he gave the boys. Nickels and dimes from a small dish he had kept in a picnic shelter on top of the mountain near a statue of St. Joseph with a sign "Donations for St. Joseph." He had collected this change for years but he still had only a few hundred dollars. Who would start a chapel now with so little funding?

Andre took his few hundred dollars and built what he could ... a small wood shelter only fifteen feet by eighteen feet. He kept collecting money and went back three years later to request more building. The wary Archbishop asked him, "Are you having visions of Saint Joseph telling you to build a church for him?"

Brother Andre reassured him. "I have only my great devotion to St. Joseph to guide me."

The Archbishop granted him permission to keep building as long as he didn't go into debt. He started by adding a roof so that all the people who were coming to hear Mass at the shrine wouldn't have to stand out in the rain and the wind. Then came walls, heating, a paved road up the mountain, a shelter for pilgrims, and finally a place where Brother Andre and others could live and take care of the shrine -- and the pilgrims who came - full-time. Through kindness, caring, and devotion, Brother Andre helped many souls experience healing and renewal on the mountaintop. There were even cases of physical healing. But for everything, Brother Andre thanked St. Joseph.

Despite financial troubles, Brother Andre never lost faith or devotion. He had started to build a basilica on the mountain, but the Depression had interfered. At ninety-years old he told his co-workers to place a statue of St. Joseph in the unfinished, unroofed basilica. He was so ill he had to be carried up the mountain to see the statue in its new home. Brother Andre died soon after on January 6 and didn't live to see the work on the basilica completed. But in Brother Andre's mind it never would be completed because he always saw more ways to express his devotion and to heal others. As long as he lived, the man who had trouble keeping work for himself, would never have stopped working for God.

On December 19, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI promulgated a decree recognizing a second miracle at Blessed André's intercession and on October 17, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI formally declared sainthood for Blessed Andre.

Saint of the Day for Monday

 

St. John Neumann

This American saint was born in Bohemia in 1811. He was looking forward to being ordained in 1835 when the bishop decided there would be no more ordinations. It is difficult for us to imagine now, but Bohemia was overstocked with priests. John wrote to bishops all over Europe but the story was the same everywhere no one wanted any more priests. John was sure he was called to be a priest but all the doors to follow that vocation seemed to close in his face.

But John didn't give up. He had learned English by working in a factory with English-speaking workers so he wrote to the bishops in America. Finally, the bishop in New York agreed to ordain him. In order to follow God's call to the priesthood John would have to leave his home forever and travel across the ocean to a new and rugged land.

In New York, John was one of 36 priests for 200,000 Catholics. John's parish in western New York stretched from Lake Ontario to Pennsylvania. His church had no steeple or floor but that didn't matter because John spent most of his time traveling from village to village, climbing mountains to visit the sick, staying in garrets and taverns to teach, and celebrating the Mass at kitchen tables.

Because of the work and the isolation of his parish, John longed for community and so joined the Redemptorists, a congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to helping the poor and most abandoned.

John was appointed bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. As bishop, he was the first to organize a diocesan Catholic school system. A founder of Catholic education in this country, he increased the number of Catholic schools in his diocese from two to 100.

John never lost his love and concern for the people -- something that may have bothered the elite of Philadelphia. On one visit to a rural parish, the parish priest picked him up in a manure wagon. Seated on a plank stretched over the wagon's contents, John joked, "Have you ever seen such an entourage for a bishop!"

The ability to learn languages that had brought him to America led him to learn Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch so he could hear confessions in at least six languages. When Irish immigration started, he learned Gaelic so well that one Irish woman remarked, "Isn't it grand that we have an Irish bishop!"

Once on a visit to Germany, he came back to the house he was staying in soaked by rain. When his host suggested he change his shoes, John remarked, "The only way I could change my shoes is by putting the left one on the right foot and the right one on the left foot. This is the only pair I own."

John died on January 5, 1860, at the age of 48.

Pope Leo XIV renews concerns for the Switzerland fire victims, mourners

 

Mourners commemorate victims of New Year's Day fire at Swiss ski resort  (ANSA)

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• Pope Leo XIV
• Switzerland

Pope Leo renews closeness to victims of fire tragedy in Switzerland

During the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV expresses once again his closeness to those in mourning following the fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 1.

Vatican News

Read also

02/01/2026

Pope prays for victims of Crans-Montana fire

At the conclusion of the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV expressed once again his "closeness to those suffering" due to the tragic fire that struck Crans-Montana, Switzerland on January 1st. He assured his "prayers for the young people who died, for the injured, and for their families."

Swiss Police have reported that 40 people have died and 119 were injured, many seriously, following the fire and explosion that broke out in a bar of the ski resort town at a crowded New Year's Eve celebration. 

In a telegram on January 2nd, Pope Leo XIV joined in mourning the victims of a fire through a telegram signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, expressing the Pope's compassion and concern for those close to the victims. Pope Leo “prays to the Lord to welcome the deceased into his dwelling of peace and light, and to support the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.”

Pope Leo XIV expressed concern for the Venezuelan people

 

Pope Leo XIV appeals for Venezuela on Sunday  (@Vatican Media)

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• Pope Leo XIV
• Venezuela
• appeal
• Angelus
• prayer

Pope on Venezuela: Overcome violence, safeguard country’s sovereignty

At the Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV calls for the good of the Venezuelan people to prevail, for the rule of law to be upheld, and for the human and civil rights of all to be respected.

Vatican News

Pope Leo XIV expressed his concern on Sunday over recent developments in Venezuela, after United States forces arrested Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on Saturday and brought him to New York for trial.

“The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration and lead us to overcome violence and to undertake paths of justice and peace, safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, ensuring the rule of law enshrined in the Constitution, respecting the human and civil rights of each person and of all, and working to build together a serene future of collaboration, stability, and concord, with special attention to the poorest who suffer because of the difficult economic situation,” said the Pope at the midday Angelus prayer.

Speaking in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo invited everyone to pray for the Venezuelan people, assuring them of his own prayers.

He also entrusted all Venezuelans to the intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto, Patroness of Venezuela, St. José Gregorio Hernández, and St. Carmen Rendiles.

Pope Leo XIV concluded his Angelus appeals with an invitiation to trust in the God of peace.

“Let us continue to have faith in the God of peace,” he urged. “Let us pray and stand in solidarity with the peoples who suffer because of wars.”

Venezuelan Bishops’ appeal

In the early hours of January 3, US special forces entered Caracas, striking several military areas of the capital and capturing Mr. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their residence.

They were taken into custody, brought to prison in New York, and charged with several felonies.

On Sunday, the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference issued a message in response to the events, expressing the Church’s closeness to Venezuelans.

“In view of the events that our country is experiencing today, let us ask God to grant all Venezuelans serenity, wisdom, and strength,” he said. “We stand in solidarity with those who were injured and with the families of those who died. Let us persevere in prayer for the unity of our people.”

The Bishops called for decisions to be made for the good of the Venezuelan people.

“We make an appeal to the people of God to live more intensely hope and fervent prayer for peace in our hearts and in society; we reject any kind of violence,” they said. “May our hands open to encounter and mutual help and may the decisions that are made be made always for the good of our people.”

Christmas Sunday Papal Angelus 01.04.2026

 

Pope

• Angelus
• christmas
• jesus
• faith

Pope at Angelus: May the joy of Christmas sustain our journey

Pope Leo XIV prays the Angelus on the Second Sunday of Christmas, inviting the faithful to draw closer to the Christ Child and recalling that every authentic worship of God requires caring for humanity.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"May the joy of Christmas encourage us to continue on our journey," invited Pope Leo XIV on the Second Sunday of Christmas in his Angelus address at noon in the Vatican.

The Holy Father began by renewing Christmas wishes to the faithful gathered and by recalling that on the imminent Solemnity of the Epiphany on January 6, the Jubilee Year of Hope will conclude with the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica.

In this context, the Holy Father recalled that the very mystery of Christmas, in which we are still immersed, "reminds us that the foundation of our hope is God’s Incarnation."

Recalling St. John's words from the Day's liturgy that “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (Jn 1:14), the Pope insisted that "Christian hope is not based on optimistic forecasts or human calculations, but on God’s decision to share our journey, so that we may never be alone as we travel through life."

Our hope is rekindled in God's work in our lives

The Pope explained that this is God’s work. "In Jesus," Pope Leo recalled, God "became one of us, chose to remain with us, and willed to be forever God-with-us."

Our hope, the Pope said, is "rekindled" by the coming of Jesus in the weakness of human flesh.

At the same time, he reflected, it entrusts us with a "twofold commitment" to both God and to our fellow human beings.

Turning to being committed to God, the Pope said that since He has become flesh, having chosen our human frailty as His dwelling place, "we are called to reconsider how we think about Him, beginning with the flesh of Jesus, and not from an abstract doctrine." 

Examining our spirituality and expressions of faith

"Therefore," he urged, "we must constantly examine our spirituality and the ways in which we express our faith, in order to ensure that they are truly incarnate." 

This, he noted, requires properly contemplating, proclaiming and praying to the God "who meets us in Jesus." 

"He is not a distant deity in a perfect heaven above us," the Pope said, "but a God who is nearby and inhabits our fragile earth, who becomes present in the faces of our brothers and sisters, and reveals himself in the circumstances of daily life."

Authentic worship of God requires care for humanity

He said our commitment to all men and women must also be consistent. 

"Since God has become one of us," the Holy Father reminded that every human creature is accordingly a reflection of Him, bearing His image and "containing a spark of His light."

"This," the Pope stressed, "calls us to recognize the inviolable dignity of every person and to offer ourselves in mutual love for one another," which, the Pope added, "demands a concrete commitment to the promotion of fraternity and communion," that enables solidarity to become "the criterion of all human relationships."

Christmas joy guiding our way

"God has become flesh; therefore," the Pope warned, "there is no authentic worship of God without care for humanity."

In conclusion, Pope Leo prayed that "the joy of Christmas encourage us to continue on our journey." 

"Let us ask the Virgin Mary to make us ever more ready to serve both God and our neighbor," he said.