Pope Leo XIV has Wednesday meeting with the Focolare Movement

 

Pope Leo XIV meets with Bishops associated with the Focolare Movement on September 9, 2026  (@Vatican Media)

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Pope: Emphasis on individual freedom makes us less free to be ourselves

Pope Leo XIV tells Bishops associated with the Focolare Movement that our modern emphasis on individual freedom can in reality make us less free to be our genuine selves or follow our highest ideals.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV met on Wednesday with Bishops associated with the Focolare Movement, formally known as the Work of Mary, founded in Italy in 1943 by Chiara Lubich.

In his address, the Pope said the bishops’ encounter expresses their collegial affection as friends of the Focolare Movement, noting that they hail from various countries and social situations.

Pope Leo praised their focus on “Giving Witness to Unity,” saying the theme of unity is dear to his heart.

“In an age sadly marked by increasing polarization,” he said, “our Lord enabled [Chiara Lubich] to give witness to both the sense and service of unity, thus becoming a sign for her own and future generations.”

The Church continues to bear this task, added the Pope, saying he recalls the “prejudice, racism, religious intolerance, and even violence” that the bishops face in their countries.

In the West, he noted, the formerly stable networks of family, friendship, and community are succumbing to deep fragmentation.

As societies become more marked by individualism, freedom is increasingly presented as “absolute autonomy,” so that people may pursue happiness “without any moral, natural, or even human limits.”

“And yet we observe a paradox,” said Pope Leo. “For all the emphasis on individual freedom, people today frequently feel less free to be their genuine selves or follow their highest ideals, out of a hidden fear of being judged or of not fitting in.”

This loss of openness to others worsens our sense of disunity and indeed takes away our happiness, which the Pope said we find only in communion with the Triune God.

“In revealing the heart of the Father, Christ shows us the deepest meaning of our existence, of our relationships, and the path to happiness,” he said. “Through the gift of the Spirit, we have become children of God, sharers in the divine life”.

By embracing our communion as children of God in Christ, we take part in the Church’s mystery of communion and act as a sign of leaven and unity in our world.

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV invited the bishops associated with the Focolare Movement to bear witness to “this longed-for unity of the human family.”

“The answer to the sad divisions that plague our world,” he said, “lies not in forming more committees or launching more projects, but in going back to the source of our unity in the Holy Trinity.”

Pope Leo XIV meets & shares hospitality with visiting Lutheran Bishops from Norway

 

Pope Leo XIV prays with the Lutheran Bishops of Norway  (@VATICAN MEDIA)

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Pope: Christians should seek communion and foster peace together

Meeting with Lutheran Bishops from Norway, Pope Leo XIV encourages all Christians to work together to promote peace and justice in our turbulent times.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV met on Wednesday with several Lutheran Bishops from Norway as they make a pilgrimage to Rome.

In his address, the Pope invited the Bishops to visit the various holy sites associated with the early Christians and martyrs, whose lives continue to offer a source of inspiration to modern Christians.

Their example, he said, encourages us also to “give our lives for the glory of God and for the good of our brothers and sisters.”

Pope Leo pointed to the difficult challenges presented by our world’s “particularly turbulent period.”

“There seems to be an increasing animosity among peoples, evident not only in international conflicts and disputes,” he said, “but also within individual countries, as demonstrated by the bitterness that frequently characterizes political and social discourse.”

Christians, too, face the temptation to fall into an attitude of hostility toward those with whom we disagree, he noted.

However, said the Pope, we instead need to seek out paths of reconciliation and fraternity.

“Jesus shows us another way, revealing that goodness and charity have the power to disarm,” he said.

In visiting Rome, the Lutheran Bishops show their desire to build communion, he said, noting that even small gestures “can inspire and guide us along the path of reconciliation.”

Pope Leo XIV then recalled Jesus’ prayer that His disciples may all be one so that the world may believe.

“Grounded in our common Baptism and our shared mission in the world,” he said, “I pray that we may always grow together in our service to the promotion of peace and justice.”

In conclusion, the Pope invited the Lutheran Bishops of Norway to look to the example of the early martyrs and saints as a witness to the transforming power of charity.

“Let us ask for God’s blessing,” he said, “so that, in God’s infinite goodness and wisdom, He may help us to live ever more truly as brothers and sisters, and thus bear common witness to our Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

An Ecumenical Evening Vespers with Pope Leo XIV

 

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Pope at Ecumenical Vespers: We are one, let's make it visible

On the feast of the Conversion of St Paul, which marks the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Leo invites Christians to continue on their shared mission of spreading the Gospel to all.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

Pope Leo emphasized how different Christian religions share the same faith and encouraged them to continue together the mission of spreading the Gospel throughout the world, on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

“We are one!  We already are!  Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!” he said in his homily during the celebration of Second Vespers on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, marking the end of the Week of Prayer.

He pointed out that this annual event reminds Christians of their commitment to the mission of spreading the Gospel, “bearing in mind that the divisions among us – while they do not prevent the light of Christ from shining – nonetheless make the face which must reflect it to the world less radiant.”

The service was celebrated at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, the resting place of the Apostle. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes place every year in the northern hemisphere from January 18 to 25.

Several representatives of various Christian Churches were present, including Metropolitan Polykarpos, representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, from the Armenian Apostolic Church, and Bishop Anthony Ball, of the Anglican Communion. There was also Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, along with other ecumenical groups and pilgrims.

The ecumenical celebration at St Paul's Outside the Walls (@VATICAN MEDIA)

St. Paul, an example for all Christians in their mission

In the passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, chosen as the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer, “we repeatedly hear the adjective 'one': one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God,” the Pope explained in his homily.

“Dear brothers and sisters, how can these inspired words not touch us deeply?  How can our hearts not burn within us when we hear them?” he asked, underlining how we share the same faith in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. 

He pointed to St. Paul’s conversion, from a persecutor of the Church to someone who preached Jesus’s “love with burning zeal,” as an example. As the participants of the Vespers gathered before the tomb of the Apostle, Pope Leo highlighted that it served as a reminder that his mission is the same as that of all Christians: “to proclaim Christ and to invite everyone to place their trust in him.”

The Pope also cited the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution Lumen Gentium, in which the Church “expressed its ardent desire to proclaim the Gospel to all creation” and thus “bring to all humanity that light of Christ which is resplendent on the face of the Church.”

 “It is the shared task of all Christians to say humbly and joyfully to the world: ‘Look to Christ!  Come closer to him!  Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles!’,” the Pope insisted.

Commemorating Nicaea and the importance of synodality  

The Pope also recalled the ecumenical prayer service he celebrated along with various other Christian leaders in Iznik, Türkiye, in November 2025, to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

“Reciting the Nicene Creed together in the very place where it was formulated was a profound and unforgettable testimony to our unity in Christ,” the Pope said.

“May the Holy Spirit find in us docile minds even today, so that we may proclaim the faith with one voice to the men and women of our time!”

Looking instead to the future, Pope Leo mentioned the 2000th anniversary of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, which will be celebrated in 2033. In light of this event, he called those present to “commit ourselves to further developing ecumenical synodal practices and to sharing with one another who we are, what we do and what we teach.”

Citing Pope Francis, Pope Leo explained how the Catholic Church’s synodal journey is ecumenical and vice versa, and he recalled the participation of several fraternal Christian delegates to the 2023 and 2024 sessions of the Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican.

“I believe this is a path for growing together in mutual knowledge of our respective synodal structures and traditions,” the Pope insisted.

The witness of the Armenian people

Lastly, the Pope mentioned how this year’s materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity were prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with the local Churches in the country.

“With deep gratitude, we remember the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history, a history in which martyrdom has been a constant feature,” he reflected.

He highlighted “Saint Nersès Šnorhali “the Gracious,” the holy Catholicos who worked for the unity of the Church in the 12th century and was ahead of his time in his ecumenical commitment.  

“As my venerable predecessor Saint John Paul II recalled, Saint Nerses also teaches us the attitude we should adopt on our ecumenical journey: ‘Christians must have a profound interior conviction that unity is essential, not for strategic advantage or political gain but for the sake of preaching the Gospel’,” the Pope explained.

Emphasizing how, according to tradition, Armenia was the first Christian nation, “after King Tiridates was baptized by Saint Gregory the Illuminator in the year 301,” Pope Leo thanked “the intrepid heralds of the saving Word who spread the faith in Jesus Christ throughout Eastern and Western Europe.”

“We pray that the seeds of the Gospel may continue to bear fruit on this continent in unity, justice and holiness, for the benefit of peace among the peoples and nations of the whole world,” the Pope concluded.

Pope Leo XIV marks the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

 

Pope Leo during his Sunday Angelus address  (AFP or licensors)

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Pope: Let us intensify prayer for the full unity of Christians

Marking the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Leo XIV recalls its origins and calls for renewed prayer for visible unity among Christians.

By Vatican News

Speaking after the Angelus on 18 January, Pope Leo XIV recalled the origins of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which begins today and dates back two centuries. The initiative, he noted, was “strongly encouraged” by Pope Leo XIII and, exactly one hundred years ago, was enriched for the first time by the Suggestions for the Octave of Prayer for the Unity of Christians.

The Pope recalled that the theme of this year’s Week is taken from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians: ““There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Eph 4:4). The prayers and reflections, he said, were prepared by an ecumenical group coordinated by the Department for Interreligious Relations of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“I therefore invite all Catholic communities,” Pope Leo XIV said, “to intensify their prayer during these days for the full, visible unity of all Christians.”

The Holy Father added that this call to communion will accompany reflection throughout the Week, which will conclude on Sunday, 25 January. As is customary on the Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Pope Leo XIV will preside at the celebration of Vespers at 5.30pm Rome time in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

At the site of Nicea, Pope Leo XIV prays with leaders of other Christian faith traditions

 

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Pope: Nicaea invites Christians to unity in face of violence, conflict

Pope Leo XIV prays with leaders of various Christian Churches in Nicaea, modern-day Iznik, Türkiye, and invites all Christians to follow the paths of fraternal encounter, dialogue, and cooperation.

By Devin Watkins

At the site of ancient Nicaea, Pope Leo XIV joined around 27 other leaders of Christian Churches to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in the Church’s history.

The ecumenical prayer service took place on the second day of the Pope’s Apostolic Journey to Türkiye.

In his address, the Pope thanked Patriarch Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, for his “great wisdom and foresight” in calling for Church leaders to celebrate this important anniversary together.

He also expressed appreciation to the Heads of Churches and Representatives of Christian World Communions for attending the event.

Pope Leo recalled that the Council of Nicaea was held in 325, saying it invites all Christians, even today, to ask ourselves who Jesus Christ is for us personally.

“This question is especially important for Christians,” he said, “who risk reducing Jesus Christ to a kind of charismatic leader or superman, a misrepresentation that ultimately leads to sadness and confusion.”

The Council was held to respond to the Alexandrian priest Arius’ claim that Jesus was only an intermediary between God and humanity, saying He was not fully divine and ignoring the reality of the Incarnation.

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28/11/2025

A look at the Council of Nicaea's impact on the Church

“But if God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in His immortal life?” asked Pope Leo. “What was at stake at Nicaea, and is at stake today, is our faith in the God who, in Jesus Christ, became like us to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature’.”

The Council of Nicaea, he said, agreed upon the Christological confession we now call the Nicene Creed, which is professed by all Christian Churches and Communities.

The Symbol of Faith, as it is known, was of “fundamental importance in the journey that Christians are making towards full communion.”

“Faith ‘in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages... consubstantial with the Father’ (Nicene Creed),” he said, “is a profound bond already uniting all Christians.”

The Pope invited Christians to embrace that existing bond of unity and journey ever deeper in “adherence to the Word of God revealed in Jesus Christ, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in mutual love and dialogue.”

By overcoming divisions and reconciling with one another, Christians can bear more credible witness to Jesus Christ and His proclamation of hope for all, he said.

Pope Leo XIV went on to say Christian unity is greatly needed in our world filled with violence and conflict.

“The desire for full communion among all believers in Jesus Christ is always accompanied by the search for fraternity among all human beings,” he said, calling for recognition of the rights and dignity of all people, no matter their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or personal perspectives.

He upheld the role of religions in serving truth and encouraging individuals to seek dialogue and respect.

“We must strongly reject the use of religion for justifying war, violence, or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism,” the Pope said. “Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation.”

Finally, Pope Leo prayed that God the Father may help the commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea bear “the abundant fruits of reconciliation, unity and peace.”

As the prayer service concluded, the leaders of Christian Churches and Communions prayed the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed together, omitting the Filioque. 

Today, Pope Leo XIV issues Apostolic Letter "in unitate fidei" (in unity of faith) on the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea

 

Pope Leo XIV  (@VATICAN MEDIA)

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Pope Leo issues Apostolic Letter 'In unitate fidei' on Nicaea Anniversary

Ahead of his upcoming Apostolic Journey to Türkiye, Pope Leo issues the Apostolic Letter 'In unitate fidei' on the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, broken down into 12 points, with the hope of "encouraging the whole Church to renew her enthusiasm for the profession of faith."

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Ahead of his upcoming Apostolic Journey to Türkiye, Pope Leo XIV issued on Sunday, 23 November, the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Apostolic Letter 'In unitate fidei' on the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

The full Letter, which has the hope of "encouraging the whole Church to renew her enthusiasm for the profession of faith," is broken down into twelve points, and can be read in its entirety HERE.

In 2025, the Catholic Church is commemorating the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 AD. by Emperor Constantine I in the city of Nicaea.

Pope Leo’s upcoming Journey to Türkiye will take him to Ankara, Istanbul, and İznik, once known as Nicaea, for the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council.

The ecumenical council aimed to address theological disputes and establish a unified Christian doctrine, and its outcomes included affirming Christ's divinity and formulating the Nicene Creed.

With this in mind, Pope Leo's Letter, first and foremost, is a call to unity.

"In the unity of faith, proclaimed since the beginning of the Church," the Pope begins his text, "Christians have been called to walk in harmony, guarding and transmitting the gift they have received with love and joy," recalling, 'This is expressed in the words of the Creed, “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God…for our salvation he came down from heaven.'"

The Pope remembered how this truth was so effectively formulated 1700 years ago by the Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical gathering in the history of Christianity.

'The Creed gives us hope'

The Pope highlighted that ahead of his Apostolic Journey, he wished to draw the Church's attention to the profession of faith.  

"For centuries," he said, "this enduring confession of faith has been the common heritage of Christians, and it deserves to be professed and understood in ever new and relevant ways. "

“For centuries, his enduring confession of faith has been the common heritage of Christians, and it deserves to be professed and understood in ever new and relevant ways”

In this Holy Year, dedicated to the theme of Christ our hope, the Pope called it "a providential coincidence" that we are also celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.

The Pope said the Council's proclamation in 325 A.D. of faith in Jesus Christ, Son of God, "is the heart of the Christian faith."  "Even today, during every Sunday Eucharistic celebration," he acknowledged, "we recite the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the profession of faith that unites all Christians."

Moreover, "In these difficult times we are living, amid so many concerns and fears, threats of war and violence, natural disasters, grave injustices and imbalances, and the hunger and misery suffered by millions of our brothers and sisters," the Pope went on to observe, "this Creed gives us hope."

What unites us is greater than what divides us

Finally, the Council of Nicaea is relevant today because of its great ecumenical value.  Indeed, the achievement of unity among all Christians was one of the main objectives of the last Council, the Second Vatican Council.  Exactly thirty years ago, Saint John Paul II further promoted this conciliar message in his Encyclical Ut Unum Sint (25 May 1995). 

Thanks to God, the ecumenical movement has achieved much in the last sixty years. 

"It is true that full visible unity with the Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches and with the ecclesial communities born of the Reformation has not yet been reached," the Pope acknowledged.

"Nevertheless, ecumenical dialogue, founded on one baptism and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed," Pope Leo observed, "has led us to recognize the members of other Churches and ecclesial communities as our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, and to rediscover the one universal community of Christ’s disciples throughout the world."  

Recalling that Christians "share the same faith in the one and only God, the Father of all people; we confess together the one Lord and true Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the one Holy Spirit, who inspires us and impels us towards full unity and the common witness to the Gospel," he highlighted, "Truly, what unites us is much greater than what divides us!"

"In a world that is divided and torn apart by many conflicts," Pope Leo reaffirmed, "the one universal Christian community can be a sign of peace and an instrument of reconciliation, playing a decisive role in the global commitment to peace."

“In a world that is divided and torn apart by many conflicts, the one universal Christian community can be a sign of peace and an instrument of reconciliation, playing a decisive role in the global commitment to peace.”

Pope Leo recalled that predecessor Pope, Saint John Paul II "reminded us, in particular, of the witness of the many Christian martyrs from all Churches and ecclesial communities," reiterating how "their memory unites us and spurs us on to be witnesses and peacemakers in the world."

Nicene Creed can be reference point in our journey

The Pope underscored how critical it is to carry out this ministry credibly, and that this requires "walking together to reach unity and reconciliation among all Christians." 

"The Nicene Creed can be the basis and reference point for this journey," he said, noting, "offers us a model of true unity in legitimate diversity."

"We must therefore," he said, "leave behind theological controversies that have lost their raison d’être in order to develop a common understanding and even more, a common prayer to the Holy Spirit, so that he may gather us all together in one faith and one love."

Yet, he clarified, "This does not imply an ecumenism that attempts to return to the state prior to the divisions, nor is it a mutual recognition of the current status quo of the diversity of Churches and ecclesial communities," but "rather," he continued, "it is an ecumenism that looks to the future, that seeks reconciliation through dialogue as we share our gifts and spiritual heritage." 

The restoration of unity among Christians, the Holy Father said, "does not make us poorer; on the contrary, it enriches us."

Finally, Pope Leo XIV concluded his Letter with an invitation to pray together, invoking "the Holy Spirit to accompany and guide us in this work."