What the Pope Said this Week Part 1

Jason Scott’s weekly review of Pope Leo XIV’s audiences –

6 December — Concert with the Poor; Jubilee Audience Catechesis; Ambassadors’ Credential Letters

On Saturday evening, Pope Leo XIV presided over the sixth edition of the Concert with the Poor in the Audience Hall, an event that originated from the heart of Pope Francis. The gathering brought together the Choir of the Diocese of Rome and the Nova Opera Orchestra, along with international artist Michael Bublé, to provide an experience of beauty and music to those most in need.

The Pope then reflected deeply on the spiritual power of music and its capacity to transform the human heart:

“Music is like a bridge that leads us to God. It is capable of transmitting feelings, emotions, even the deepest stirrings of the soul, lifting them up and transforming them into an imaginary stairway connecting earth and heaven. Yes, music can lift our hearts! Not because it distracts us from our sufferings, because it numbs us or makes us forget the problems or difficult situations of life, but because it reminds us that we are not just this: we are far more than our problems and our troubles, we are God’s beloved children!”

Later that morning, Pope Leo delivered a Jubilee Audience catechesis focussed on the theme of hope and participation. He reflected on the life of Alberto Marvelli, a young Italian who dedicated himself during World War II to serving the wounded, sick, and homeless. Through this example, the Pope invited pilgrims to contemplate their own call to participate in God’s saving work.

Later that same day, Pope Leo received the credentials of thirteen new ambassadors to the Holy See representing thirteen nations: Uzbekistan, Moldova, Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Liberia, Thailand, Lesotho, South Africa, Fiji, Micronesia, Latvia and Finland. The audience took place in the Clementine Hall, where the Pope addressed the diplomatic representatives with both warmth and prophetic clarity.

“From my first words as Bishop of Rome, I wished to recall the greeting of the Risen Lord Jesus—’Peace be with you’—and to invite all peoples to pursue what I have called an ‘unarmed and disarming peace.’ Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but ‘an active and demanding gift,’ one that is ‘built in the heart and from the heart’; it calls each of us to renounce pride and vindictiveness and to resist the temptation to use words as weapons.”

 7 December — Angelus, Second Sunday of Advent

On Sunday, the Pope’s Angelus homily centred on the Gospel reading announcing the coming of the Kingdom of God, with particular focus on the figure of John the Baptist as the precursor to Christ. Leo reflected on the Baptist’s message of repentance in the desert of Judea and the power of his preaching to move hearts toward conversion.

“The Gospel for this second Sunday of Advent announces the coming of the Kingdom of God. Before Jesus’s public ministry, John the Baptist, his precursor, appears on the scene. John preached in the desert of Judea saying: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!’ Certainly, in his preaching, the Baptist’s tone is severe. Nonetheless, the people listen attentively because they hear resounding in his words God’s plea to take life seriously, to take advantage of the present moment in order to prepare themselves for the encounter with him who judges, not by appearance, but by the deeds and intentions of the heart.”

Leo then reflected on a remarkable mystery: John the Baptist, who had announced the coming of the Kingdom with such severity, would himself be surprised by how gently and mercifully that Kingdom would manifest itself in Jesus Christ:

“This same John will be surprised at the manner in which the Kingdom of God manifests itself in Jesus Christ, in meekness and in mercy. The prophet Isaiah compared Jesus to a sprout: an image not of power or destruction, but of birth and newness. Upon the shoot, which sprouts forth from a seemingly dead tree trunk, the Holy Spirit begins gently to blow its gifts.”

8 December — Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

December 8 held profound significance as the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Leo marked the feast with two major liturgical moments, beginning with the Angelus in St Peter’s Square, where he reflected on the mystery of Mary’s preservation from original sin and her role as mother of the Saviour.

The Pope opened with joy and clarity about the doctrine being celebrated:

“Dear brothers and sisters, happy feast day! Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We express our joy because the Father of Heaven wanted her to be ‘preserved immune from all stain of original sin,’ full of innocence and holiness in order to be able to entrust to her, for our salvation, ‘his only begotten Son.'”

Later in the afternoon, Pope Leo travelled to the Spanish Steps in Rome for the traditional veneration of the Immaculate Conception. There, in his prayer of veneration, he offered a deeply poetic and theologically rich meditation on Mary’s role in the Church and the world.

The prayer began with a traditional salutation and invocation of Mary’s grace:

“Hail, O Mary! Rejoice, full of grace, filled with that grace which, like a gentle light, makes radiant all those on whom the presence of God shines.”

Finally, the Pope prayed that the Church would be shaped by Mary’s example of being with the people:

“Help us to be always a Church with and amongst the people, leaven in the dough of a humanity crying out for justice and hope. Immaculate one, woman of infinite beauty, watch over this city, over this humanity. Point them to Jesus, lead them to Jesus, present them to Jesus. Mother, Queen of Peace, pray for us.”

Take-Away Points

– Music and art are divine gifts that lift the human heart and offer access to transcendent beauty regardless of one’s station in life.

– Hope is not passive waiting but active participation in God’s saving work and generous service to those in need.

– Mary’s free consent to God’s plan—her “yes”—is the model for Christian discipleship, renewed each day through prayer and concrete acts of love.

Read Part 2 of What the Pope Said this Week

Sources

2025-12-06 – https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2025/december/documents/20251206-concerto-poveri.html

2025-12-06 – https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/audiences/2025/documents/20251206-udienza-giubilare.html

2025-12-06 – https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/speeches/2025/december/documents/20251206-ambasciatori.html

2025-12-07 – https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/angelus/2025/documents/20251207-angelus.html

2025-12-08 – https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/angelus/2025/documents/20251208-angelus.html

2025-12-08 – https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/prayers/documents/20251208-immacolata.html