Pope Leo XIV asked for “courage and perseverance” for those involved in the “sincere” search for peace during this Sunday’s Regina Caeli prayer, which was celebrated for the first time from the window of the Apostolic Palace.
“Our prayer embraces all the peoples who suffer because of war; we invoke courage and perseverance for all those who are committed to dialogue and the sincere search for peace,” the Pontiff said.
After greeting the many faithful gathered in a sunny St. Peter’s Square, the Pope thanked them for the affection they have shown him in these first days of his pontificate, asking them to continue supporting him with prayer and closeness. “I began my ministry among you, and above all, I want to thank you for the affection you show me, while I ask you to support me with your prayers and closeness,” he stated.
In his catechesis, Leo XIV explained that we must focus on the “mercy of the Lord,” even if we ourselves may feel “insufficient.” “In everything to which the Lord calls us, both on the path of life and in that of faith, we sometimes feel insufficient. However, this Sunday’s Gospel tells us that we should not focus on our own strength, but on the mercy of the Lord who has chosen us, certain that the Holy Spirit guides us and teaches us everything,” he stated.
He then recalled that the Apostles, on the eve of Jesus’ death, were troubled and anguished, wondering how they could be followers and witnesses of the Kingdom of God. “This dwelling of God within us,” the Pope continued, “is precisely the gift of the Holy Spirit, who takes us by the hand and enables us to experience, even in our daily lives, the presence and closeness of God, making us his dwelling place,” he affirmed.
“It is beautiful,” he added, “that, looking at our calling, the realities and people entrusted to us, the commitments we carry out, and our service in the Church, each of us can say with confidence: although I am fragile, the Lord is not ashamed of my humanity; on the contrary, he comes to dwell within me,” he added.
This afternoon, the Pontiff will be installed as Bishop of Rome at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Italian capital, and will then visit St. Mary Major to pray before the icon of the Virgin Mary, “Salus Populi Romani.”
