What the Pope Said This Week

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

Sunday, 1 February: Angelus on the Beatitudes

Pope  Leo XIV reflected on the Gospel of the Beatitudes, calling them “lights  that the Lord kindles in the darkness of history, revealing the plan of  salvation.” He challenged worldly notions of happiness:

“Those  who are accustomed to thinking that happiness belongs to the rich may  believe that Jesus is deluded. However, the delusion lies precisely in  the lack of faith in Christ.”

The Pope noted  that history “is no longer written by conquerors, but rather by God, who  is able to accomplish it by saving the oppressed.” He urged the  faithful to ask whether they see happiness “as an achievement to be  bought or a gift to be shared.”

After the  Angelus, he expressed “great concern” over rising tensions between Cuba  and the United States, echoing Cuban bishops in calling for “sincere and  effective dialogue.” He prayed for flooding victims in Mozambique and  storms in Portugal and Italy, and appealed for respect for the Olympic  truce as the Winter Games approached.

Monday, 2 February: Mass for World Day for Consecrated Life

On  Candlemas — the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord — Pope Leo  celebrated Mass in St Peter’s Basilica for the 30th World Day for  Consecrated Life. The liturgy began with a candlelight procession  symbolising Christ as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” He  called religious to be prophets:

“The Church  asks you to be prophets — messengers who announce the presence of the  Lord and prepare the way for him. You are called to this mission above  all through the sacrificial offering of your lives, rooted in prayer and  in a readiness to be consumed by charity.”

He praised religious communities who remain with their people amid conflict rather than fleeing:

“They  remain, often stripped of all security, as a living reminder — more  eloquent than words — of the inviolable sacredness of life in its most  vulnerable conditions.”

He emphasised that  “the young, the elderly, the poor, the sick and the imprisoned hold a  sacred place above all else on God’s altar and in his heart,”  encouraging consecrated men and women “to be leaven of peace and signs  of hope wherever Providence may lead you.”

Wednesday, 4 February: General Audience — Scripture in Human Words

Continuing  his catechesis on Vatican II’s Dei Verbum, Pope Leo examined how  Scripture is both divine and human in authorship. He warned against two  errors: fundamentalism that ignores historical context, and reductionism  that treats the Bible as merely a human text:

“In  every age, the Church is called to re-propose the Word of God in a  language capable of being embodied in history and reaching hearts.”

He  cautioned that when Scripture “loses touch with reality, with human  hopes and sufferings” or uses language that is “incomprehensible or  anachronistic, it is ineffective.”

At the end  of the audience, the Pope issued urgent appeals on two fronts. He called  for prayers for Ukraine, whose people are being “harshly tested” by  continued bombardments targeting energy infrastructure during the harsh  winter. As the New START treaty between the United States and Russia  expired, he warned against a “new global arms race,” urging leaders to  abandon “the logic of fear and distrust” and embrace “a shared ethic  capable of guiding decisions toward the common good.”

Thursday, 5 February: Audience with Eastern Orthodox Priests and Monks

Pope  Leo welcomed young priests and monks from the Oriental Orthodox  Churches — Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Malankara and Syriac —  on a study visit organised by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian  Unity. Reflecting on Christian unity in light of the recent Week of  Prayer, he quoted Patriarch Athenagoras, a pioneer of ecumenism:

“I am disarmed of the need to be right, to justify myself by judging others.”

The Pope urged: “When we remove the prejudices we carry within ourselves, and disarm our hearts, we grow in charity, work more closely together and strengthen our bonds of unity in Christ. In this way, Christian unity also becomes a  leaven for peace on earth and reconciliation of all.”

Friday, 6 February: Letter on Sport — “Life in Abundance”

As  the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics began, Pope Leo published a  substantial letter on the value of sport, titled “Life in Abundance”  (from John 10:10). He called for respect of the Olympic truce:

“In  a world thirsting for peace, we need tools that can put an end to the  abuse of power, displays of force and indifference to the rule of law.”

Drawing on Scripture and Church tradition from St Paul to St Thomas Aquinas to  St John Bosco, he affirmed sport’s formative value for body and spirit.  However, he warned against its corruption by profit:

“When  economic interests become the primary focus, even professional athletes  risk focusing on themselves, neglecting the community aspect of the  game.”

He encouraged sport to be “a school of  humanity” fostering fraternity, inclusion and fair competition, where  people “can win without humiliating others” and “lose without being  defeated as individuals.”

Take-Away Points:

• The Beatitudes reveal history written by God saving the oppressed; happiness is a gift to share, not an achievement to buy.
• Consecrated religious are called to be prophets and “leaven of peace”;  those who remain amid conflict witness to life’s sacredness.
• Scripture must be proclaimed in language that connects with human hopes and sufferings, avoiding fundamentalism and reductionism.
• Christian unity requires “disarming our hearts” of prejudice; this becomes leaven for peace on earth.
• Sport should be a “school of humanity” promoting fraternity, not corrupted by profit
• The world must abandon “the logic of fear and distrust” and avoid a new arms race.

Sources:

2026-02-01 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/02/01/260201b.html

2026-02-02 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/02/02/260202d.html

2026-02-04 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/02/04/260204a.html

2026-02-05 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/02/05/260205d.html

2026-02-06 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/02/06/260206d.html