The Wednesday General Audience with Pope Leo XIV 09.02.2026

 

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Pope at Audience: Church is called to serve humanity, unmask society's contradictions

At the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the Church’s mission to be at the service of humanity by engaging with reality, getting involved in the challenges our time period faces and bear witness to Christ.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

In a time marked by tensions, conflicts and many changes, the Church is called to be at the service of humanity – especially those who are most vulnerable – by engaging with reality, including its contradictions, Pope Leo XIV said during the Wednesday General Audience on September 2.

The Church must “leave behind all passivity and indifference in the face of current events, history and people’s lives, especially in the face of the rapid and profound changes we are experiencing today,” the Pope highlighted to the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“We cannot remain as unengaged spectators; rather, we must listen with our hearts, allow ourselves to be challenged, and become involved. With Christ and sustained by the power of His Spirit, believers are called to take on the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are crushed by injustice, discrimination, and violence.”

Pope Leo began a new phase in his catechesis series on the Documents of the Second Vatican Council by reflecting on the 1965 Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes (meaning “joy and hope”) on the Church in the modern world.

Christians must unmask contradictions

As the Church is called to get involved in humanity, it means that “Christian solidarity commits us to engaging with reality and also to unmasking the contradictions that characterize personal and social life in the contemporary world,” the Pope emphasized in his catechesis.

He cited various examples of this in our current societies such as technological and scientific progress that only benefits some people; or a clearer understanding of the laws of society but uncertainty regarding their direction; or a great abundance of wealth, resources and economic power which, however, “today as in the days of the Council, leaves ‘a huge proportion of the world’s citizens … still tormented by hunger and poverty’.”

Or also lastly, “a shared awareness that the future of the planet is at stake, coupled with an inability to renounce selfish consumption and the illusion that war is an effective means of building peace.”

“In a time marked by profound changes, giving rise to worrying imbalances,” the Pope underlined, “the Church is called to serve the human person, listening to and welcoming the deepest questions of their heart and the longings that dwell within them, pointing to Christ as ‘the key, the focal point and the goal of … all human history’.”

St. Peter's Square during the General Audience (@Vatican Media)

Church one with humanity

The Pope also cited his predecessor Pope St. John XXIII who, in his opening address of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, took issue with those who believed that their time period was worse than the previous ones.

Pope John XXIII emphasized that in that era, like at every moment in history, one must “see the mysterious plans of Divine Providence, which are brought to fulfilment in due course through the work of men, and often beyond their expectations, and which, with wisdom, arrange everything, even adverse human affairs, for the good of the Church.”

Pope Leo explained that the promulgation of Gaudium et spes recognized in this discernment an essential element of the nature of the Church, which is that as Jesus Christ “by becoming incarnate, chooses to share our life,” so too He calls the Church to become involved in this same way with humanity.

“Hence, the conciliar Constitution Gaudium et spes begins by declaring that the Church makes her own ‘the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted’,” the Pope insisted.

In this regard, he noted that the Constitution recalls the Church’s constant duty to scrutinize the signs of the times and interpret them in light of the Gospel and also her mission to bring forward the work of Christ, who bore witness to truth and served all.

Focusing on the poor and those most in need

The Pope noted that this is not “merely a moral imperative” and, as Pope Francis had said, “the option for the poor is primarily a theological category rather than a cultural, sociological, political or philosophical one.”

“We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them,” Pope Leo said, citing his predecessor’s Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.

The Pope concluded by expressing his hope that “joy and hope – gaudium et spes – be the distinctive features of a Church who proclaims and bears witness to the Gospel, drawing close to the women and men of our time.”

Pope Leo XIV speaks to recently confirmed students at today's General Audience

 

Pope Leo XIV at General Audience  (@Vatican Media)

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Pope: 'Holy Spirit is not a treasure to keep hidden, but a light to let shine each day'

Pope Leo XIV tells recently confirmed young people at his weekly General Audience that the Holy Spirit is "a light to let shine each day," recalling that this week the Church commemorates Saints Augustine and Monica.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

“Dear young people, in Confirmation you have received the most beautiful gift, the Holy Spirit: it is not a treasure to be kept hidden, but a light that you must make shine every day.”

Pope Leo XIV offered this reminder to the confirmands from the Diocese of Chiavari, accompanied by their Bishop, during his remarks to Italian pilgrims at his Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter's Basilica.

The Pope also greeted young people, the sick, and newlyweds.

He recalled that Thursday and Friday, the liturgical calendar commemorates two great Saints, Saint Monica and Saint Augustine, who, he observed, were united on earth by family ties" and now "in heaven, by the same destiny of glory.”

“May their example,” Pope Leo said, “inspire in each of you a sincere and passionate search for the Truth of the Gospel, so that you may bear witness to it joyfully in your daily lives.”

Wednesday Papal General Audience with Pope Leo XIV inside St. Peter's Basilica 08.26.2026

 

Pope Leo XIV during the Wednesday General Audience on August 26  (@Vatican Media)

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Pope at Audience: Active participation in liturgy leads us to relationship with God

At the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the Second Vatican Council Fathers' decision to promote liturgical reform, as he focuses on the 1963 Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

During the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Basilica on August 26, Pope Leo XIV highlighted the importance of the liturgical reform enacted by the Second Vatican Council, which encouraged the faithful to participate more actively in the liturgy and enter into a deeper relationship with God. 

“Through the Church’s ritual actions, whilst the memorial of the work of salvation is celebrated, the opportunity is provided to experience a true relationship with God, coming into contact with the salvific event,” the Pope said.

“Since the gestures and words of the sacred liturgy are critical to realizing this experience, the participation of the faithful cannot be passive,” he said.

Pope Leo continued his series of reflections on the Documents of the Second Vatican Council, and delivered his final catechesis on the 1963 Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.

Sacrosanctum Concilium was the first text to be promulgated at the Second Vatican Council and brought about important changes to the liturgy, such as allowing it to be celebrated in vernacular languages and encouraging a more active participation of the faithful.

In his catechesis, the Pope looked at the reasons why the Council Fathers decided to promote this reform.

Pope Leo XIV during the General Audience (@Vatican Media)

Liturgical reform rooted in living tradition of the Church

Pope Leo noted that this desire for reform did not come suddenly but had been evident in actions and documents published by successive Popes since the beginning of the 20th century.

He cited for example Pope Pius XI’s 1928 Apostolic Constitution Divini Cultus, Pius XII’s choice to reschedule the times of certain Holy Week rites, or Saint John XXIII’s 1960 Motu proprio Rubricarum instructum.

“The liturgical reform promoted by the Second Vatican Council is thus firmly rooted in the living tradition of the Church," the Pope said. "A correct understanding of it also enables us to reject the abuses that occurred in certain sectors of the Church during the post-Conciliar period, and which, unfortunately, still occur from time to time today, where some of the principles underlying the reform itself have been taken to extremes or misunderstood."

Responsibility of bishops and priests to safeguard the liturgy

The Pope also underlined that Sacrosanctum Concilium insists on the point that “liturgical services are not private functions, but are celebrations of the Church, which is the ‘sacrament of unity,’ namely, the holy people united and ordered under their bishops.”

Therefore, the Pope, said that it is “the primary responsibility of pastors, of bishops but also of each individual priest, to safeguard and promote a liturgy which, while respecting liturgical norms, shines with noble simplicity and thus manifests the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”

“Such a liturgy will also be a fundamental vehicle for evangelization, the instrument of grace through which, as the Council teaches, we may learn to offer ourselves and, through Christ’s mediation, be perfected in unity with God and amongst ourselves,” the Pope continued.

St. Peter's Basilica during the Wednesday General Audience (@Vatican Media)

Expression of both divine and human

To understand the reasons for the reform, Pope Leo XIV cited a letter that the then-Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini – the future Pope Paul VI – sent to the faithful of his Church in October 1962. 

In it he pointed out how the liturgy “is a sincere expression of both the divine and the human,” as it is “a language," “a vehicle for divine teaching,” and a “a voice in dialogue with God.” 

“The faithful ‘cannot and must no longer remain silent and passive’” as their “’their physical presence cannot be reconciled with their spiritual absence,” the future Pope had written. 

Pope Leo noted that these thoughts are echoed in point 48 of Sacrosanctum Concilium, which emphasized that the Church desired that the faithful not participate in the liturgy as “strangers or silent spectators,” but rather “take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration.”

In this way, they can “be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and with each other, so that finally God may be all in all,” the Constitution’s text continued.

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful during the General Audience (@Vatican Media)

Living liturgy that adapts to the times

The Pope said these words showed “a renewed awareness of the value of the liturgy” and allowed it “to shine forth as 'the primary source of that divine exchange in which the life of God is communicated to us'."

From this conviction came the need to make the biblical texts and prayers more accessible and to streamline the order of the celebration, the Pope highlighted.

He explained that, since the “liturgy is a living entity throughout the centuries, it has always been subject to developments and changes,” adapting its forms to the needs of different time periods.

“It is therefore not surprising that the Second Vatican Council, too, with the utmost respect for the heritage of tradition, and precisely in order to make it more accessible, considered it necessary to revise the liturgical books,” the Pope said. 

Quoting point 21 of Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Pope noted that the text made a distinction between the “immutable elements divinely instituted” and the human elements which “not only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time.”

Thus, the texts and rites can be changed so that they can “express more clearly the holy things which they signify” and the faithful may be able “to understand them with ease and to take part in them fully, actively, and as befits a community.”

Pope Leo XIV introduces General Audience crowd to Blessed Fr. Wladyslaw Findysz of Poland

 

Wlad

Meet Poland’s first martyr of Communism

Addressing the Polish people gathered at the General Audience, Pope Leo recalls the figure of Blessed Father Władysław Findysz, the first beatified martyr of the communist persecution in Poland. Here is the story of the priest whom the Pope said, “reminds us that a civilization of love is built by forgiving and overcoming evil with good.”

By Dorota Abdelmoula-Viet

Addressing the Polish pilgrims present during today’s General Audience, Pope Leo XIV recalled the figure of Blessed Father Władysław Findysz, the first beatified martyr of the communist persecution in Poland. The Pope said this blessed “reminds us that a civilization of love is built by forgiving and overcoming evil with good.”

The story of Blessed Father Findysz reveals the extent of the communist authorities’ hostility towards the Catholic Church.

Falsely accused of forcing people to engage in religious practices, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. During his imprisonment, Father Findysz was subjected to physical and psychological abuse, while the authorities prevented him from undergoing a planned operation for oesophageal cancer. Released in a state of extreme exhaustion, he died several months later, regarded as a man of holiness.

“Neither prison nor death could separate him from Christ or from the sheep entrusted to his care,” Pope Francis wrote of him in a message marking the 50th anniversary of his martyrdom. “May Blessed Władysław be an invitation to all priests to fidelity, holiness and complete dedication to Christ and to their brothers and sisters in their daily ministry. May he be for all the faithful a sign and example of trust in God and of radical attachment to Christ and to the values that the Gospel proposes to everyone.”

A vocation forged through a difficult childhood

Findysz was born in 1907 in Krościenko Niżne, near Krosno in southern Poland, then under Austrian rule. His childhood was marked by the poverty prevailing in the region and by personal tragedy as he lost his mother when he was not yet five years old.

A few years later, following the devastation of the First World War and 123 years of partition, Poland was once again added to the map of Europe as a sovereign state. Findysz grew up in the shadow of the experience of war, whose consequences also affected his native region. In 1927, after completing his secondary education, he decided to pursue the priesthood and entered the Major Seminary in Przemyśl. There began a journey on which he would heroically live out the words of St Paul that nothing “can separate us from the love of God.”

A priest among the wounds and ruins of war

After his priestly ordination and ministry in several parishes — including in Borysław and Drohobych, in what is now Ukraine, since part of the former Diocese of Przemyśl lies today beyond Poland’s eastern border — he was assigned to Nowy Żmigród. He could not have imagined then that the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, where he served as parish priest, would one day become a shrine dedicated to him.

The multicultural and multi-faith region where he served was a meeting place of different traditions and cultures. The young priest became known for his extraordinary warmth and concern for all the inhabitants, as well as for his strictness, especially towards himself.

His parishioners carried fresh and deep wounds from the Second World War. The German authorities forcibly displaced all the inhabitants of the town, including Father Findysz, and the city of Nowy Żmigród was almost completely destroyed. After returning on January 23, 1945, the priest devoted himself to rebuilding parish life and helping residents affected by the war. Soon he would face another threat: repression by the communist authorities and their systematic campaign of atheisation.

The last photograph of Father Findysz, his health devastated by imprisonment and the lack of medical care

“He was born to become a priest”

“During those very difficult times, when this land was under occupation,” recalled one of his friends, Mieczysław Brożyna, “he tried to give us hope, saying that all this would pass, and that times would come when people would look at life differently. He knew how to empathise with others and comfort them. He helped the poor and the sick.”

Father Findysz risked his life to help people who were persecuted or in danger of death, regardless of their nationality or religion, including Jews whom he helped escape to Hungary. “He wanted to lead the whole parish to God. He felt responsible for every person and every family. He helped people himself and asked others to help those in need. I think he was born to become a priest.”

An apostle of unity among the people

Father Findysz understood that the difficult post-war years could deepen divisions in a nation that had suffered greatly from war and occupation. In addition to providing practical assistance to his parishioners, he became an advocate of national unity and a preacher of unwavering hope in every aspect of life. He did so in opposition to the policies of the post-war communist state, which sought to remove God from public life and subjected the Catholic Church and its priests to repression.

He was popular among young people and respected by his parishioners. He soon became a thorn in the side of the communist authorities. As early as 1946, he was placed under surveillance by the Security Office (a secret political police force used by the regime to crush opposition and control the population). In 1952, the school authorities suspended him from teaching catechism at the local secondary school. Later, the authorities refused to grant him permission twice to stay in the border zone, preventing him from carrying out his pastoral ministry in part of the parish.

Yet the period of his most severe persecution coincided with the work of the Second Vatican Council.

The “Council Act of Goodness”

When Pope John XXIII, during the Council, called on the faithful to offer spiritual support through prayer and “works of goodness,” Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński responded by launching in Poland an initiative known as the “Council Act of Goodness.” It encouraged concrete acts of charity and prayer in Polish families and communities as a way of supporting the Council’s efforts to renew the moral life of the Church.

“The spirit of forgiveness, reconciliation and harmony, the pardoning of your grievances, whether real or imagined, a brotherly hand extended in friendship, a smile and a kindly look towards everyone — this is the best and most effective form of help for the unity of Christians,” the bishops wrote at the time. The Council Acts of Goodness became an important element of Poland’s pastoral programme connected with the Council and were a phenomenon on a scale rarely seen in the universal Church.

Father Findysz also joined this initiative, encouraging his parishioners to take part. After undergoing thyroid surgery and experiencing problems with his voice, he wrote more than one hundred letters to parishioners as a personal and discreet expression of concern for them. In the letters, he encouraged them, among other things, to nurture their sacramental life, break free from addictions, and seek reconciliation and an end to conflicts within families and between neighbours.

To those living in relationships that were not sacramental marriages, he recalled the need to reconcile themselves with God and regularise their situation within the Church, offering to help them enter into a sacramental marriage. Some recipients felt offended by these appeals and filed complaints with the communist authorities. These complaints were subsequently used as the basis for accusing Father Findysz of forcing citizens to engage in religious practices and rites, leading to proceedings against him and a show trial.

Imprisoned for his faith

In 1963, he was arrested and imprisoned in the castle prison in Rzeszów. The humiliation and physical and psychological abuse he suffered in prison were a telling sign of the authorities’ hatred towards him. He was accused, among other things, of violating the Constitution and people’s consciences and of forcing people to profess the Catholic faith. In a show trial, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

He served the first two months of his sentence in Rzeszów. On January 25, 1964, he was transferred to the Central Prison on Montelupich Street in Kraków. Although it was confirmed at the time that he was suffering from cancer and urgently needed treatment, the prison and judicial authorities denied him proper medical care and prevented him from undergoing a previously scheduled operation for oesophageal cancer, despite interventions by diocesan authorities and his lawyer.

As a result, compounded by physical and psychological abuse, his health deteriorated rapidly. On February 29, 1964, he was conditionally released in a state of extreme exhaustion. He returned to Nowy Żmigród and died on August 21, 1964, regarded as a man of holiness. He was beatified in Warsaw on June 19, 2005.

Crowds of faithful at Father Findysz’s funeral

Papal Wednesday General Audience 08.19.2026

 

Pope Leo XIV at General Audience in St. Peter's Basilica  (@Vatican Media)

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Pope at Audience: Sacred music is to glorify God and sanctify the faithful

During his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Leo XIV reflects on sacred music in the liturgy, praising it for giving voice to prayer and expressing the faith, always with the main objective of glorifying God and helping the faithful grow in holiness.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Leo XIV continued his series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium. This week, he focused on the text’s sixth chapter, dedicated to sacred music.

During the catechesis, Pope Leo observed that the Constitution states that “the musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art." 

Sacred music, he said, is "part of the liturgical action and is not merely a decorative part of the celebration."

Expression of prayer and of faith

The Pope observed that singing and playing sacred music in the liturgy "means to pray, attuning one’s heart to that of our sisters and brothers and to God, through active participation in the mystery that is being celebrated.”

Recalling that music expresses the affective dimension of prayer, Pope Leo cited when St. Augustine said, “Cantare amantis est,” translated as “singing belongs to those who love.”

The Pope greets crowds gathered in St. Peter's Basilica (@Vatican Media)

“This,” the Pope reflected, “is very important because it helps us to open our hearts to God’s action in grace and to allow ourselves to be molded by it.”

Moreover, the Holy Father recalled that singing fosters communion. “It contributes to the unity of hearts," he said, "overcoming differences between people and bringing everyone together in praise of God through the symphony of voices. Thus, it becomes an epiphany of the Church, a tangible manifestation of the communion that belongs to her very nature.”

High quality and drawing principally from Scripture

Pope Leo explained that, given the profound theological significance of sacred song as an integral part of the liturgical action, certain requirements must be met.

“First," he said, "it must respond at every level to what is most appropriate for the liturgical moment, beyond fashions or the particular sensitivities of composers."

The Pope said that its form, especially in its melodic dimension, "must at the same time be noble and simple, of high musical quality and easily performable, particularly when it is intended to be sung by the whole assembly.”

For the same reason, he reiterated that sacred song “should be suitable, profound and at the same time readily understandable, inspired mainly by Sacred Scripture, the liturgical books and the spiritual Tradition of the Church.”

Accordingly, the Pope said this requires careful discernment and emphasized how the Constitution reflects on the active participation of the faithful.

Gregorian chant held in high esteem

Pope Leo noted that the Council also attributes great importance to Gregorian chant, while not excluding other forms of sacred music from the celebration.

"A theme close to the Council’s reform is that of inculturation, including in the field of sacred music," he said. "In particular, with regard to the musical traditions of different cultures, the Council emphasizes the importance of taking them seriously into consideration, as they form part of people’s religious and social life."

In this context, Pope Leo recalled that his predecessor, Pope Saint John Paul II, emphasized the need to “purify worship from ugliness of style, from distasteful forms of expression, from uninspired musical texts which are not worthy of the great act that is being celebrated,” so as to guarantee dignity and excellence to liturgical compositions.

At the same time, Pope Leo noted that the composer must remember that liturgical music cannot be judged solely according to artistic quality.

The Pope said that music intended for sacred rites must also correspond to the particular requirements of the liturgy, reiterating it must adhere closely to the text, correspond to the liturgical moment for which it is intended, and appropriately reflect the gestures and character of the rite.

Finally, he echoed the Council's recommendation for adequate formation and practice of sacred music in seminaries, in the novitiate houses of studies for religious of both sexes, and also in other Catholic institutions and schools, while always ensuring that musicians and singers receive solid liturgical formation.

Pope Leo XIV concluded by recalling that Fathers of the Church held liturgical song in high esteem as a symbol of ecclesial communion, as he quoted St. Ignatius of Antioch.

"Let each of you become a choir," he said, "so that, harmonious in agreement and taking the pitch of God in unity, you may sing with one voice through Jesus Christ to the Father, so that He may hear you and, from the good works you perform, recognize that you are members of His Son."

Wednesday papal General Audience with Pope Leo XIV

 

Pope Leo greets crowds gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for his General Audience  (@VATICAN MEDIA)

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Pope at Audience: The liturgical year renews Christ’s saving work

Pope Leo XIV reflects on the liturgical year, describing Sunday as its “foundation and kernel” and urging Christians to participate actively in the Eucharistic celebration as a visible expression of communion with Christ and His Church.

By Vatican News

Pope Leo on Wednesday addressed pilgrims in gathered in St Peter’s Basilica for his weekly Audience, centered on the fifth chapter of the Conciliar Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium.

The Pope began by noting that referring to the cycle of Christian feasts as the ‘liturgical year’ became widespread in ecclesiastical language thanks to the work of the Servant of God, Abbot Prosper Guéranger (1805–1875).

In this regard, Pope Pius XII described the liturgical year not as a lifeless recollection of events from the past, but as the living presence of Christ in His Church, through which the mysteries of salvation remain present and active. Pope Leo explained that it should therefore be understood as a continual renewal of Christ’s saving work in history. By journeying through its seasons and celebrations, the Church remains united with the Lord’s redemptive action, allowing the faithful to receive His grace.

Pope Leo went on to explain that “the encounter with Jesus, who died and rose again for us, is the purpose that the Church always pursues, placing the celebration of the Paschal event at the center of every moment”.

The Pope continued his cycle of catechesis on Sacrosanctum Concilium (@Vatican Media)

For this reason, the Council Fathers described Sunday as “the foundation and kernel of the whole liturgical year” and “the original feast day.”

The Pope noted that Sunday is the dies Domini, the Day of the Lord. Even in languages whose name for Sunday refers to the “day of the sun,” he added, Christians can recognize a reference to Christ, the true “sun of righteousness” who enlightens every person.

Sunday, the weekly Easter

Pope Leo then went on to recall that Pope Saint John Paul II taught that Sunday is the day of the Lord, the day of the Church, the day of man and, finally, the “day of days”.

“Since Sunday is the weekly Easter,” he said, it makes present Christ’s resurrection and reveals the meaning of time itself, directing human history towards the Lord’s return.

Pope Leo explained that in order to sanctify Sunday, “it is fundamental to celebrate the Eucharist” as, according to the Council Fathers, by doing so and listening to the Word, and coming together in gathering, “the Christian community makes visible its communion with the Lord and bears witness to its belonging to Christ and its fidelity to the Church”.

Such an assembly, he warned, “cannot be substituted by a solely virtual presence,” nor can it be reduced to a passive gathering. The liturgy is fulfilled through the active participation of brothers and sisters who come together to thank God for the “living hope” received through Christ’s resurrection.

The Pope therefore urged communities to seek “the best possible conditions” to enable those who cannot take time off work on Sundays to participate in Mass.

The liturgical year

Furthermore, Pope Leo traced the development of the liturgical year. He explained that the weekly celebration of Easter was joined, from the second century onwards, by the annual Easter solemnity, followed by the joyful fifty-day season culminating in Pentecost and preceded by Lent.

The Christmas cycle later developed around the mysteries of Christ’s Incarnation, birth and manifestation to the world. The Church also incorporated celebrations honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, the martyrs and the saints.

The liturgical year, the Pope concluded, sacramentally presents the history of salvation, guiding believers from expectation of the Messiah through the Paschal Mystery and towards the hope of future glory.

By enabling Christians to participate ever more deeply in the mystery of Christ, he said, the liturgical year becomes “the guiding principle and the essential framework for all pastoral action.”