What the Pope Said This Week

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

Sunday, 26 April: Priestly Ordinations & Regina Caeli — Good Shepherd Sunday

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Holy Mass in the Vatican Basilica, conferring priestly ordinations for the Diocese of Rome, before leading the Regina Caeli from his study window.

Preaching on the day’s Gospel (Jn 10:1–10), he reminded the newly ordained that their security rests not in their role but in Christ alone. He urged them to keep the door of faith open rather than act as gatekeepers.

“Never hide this holy door. Do not block it; do not be an obstacle to those who wish to enter.”

He stressed that the priest’s task is to welcome without screening.

“You are a channel, not a filter.”

At the Regina Caeli, he reflected on the “thieves” who steal abundant life — naming ideologies, consumerism and war among them. He also commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

“Today marks the 40th anniversary of the tragic incident in Chernobyl, which left a lasting mark on the conscience of humanity. It serves as a warning regarding the inherent risks of using increasingly powerful technologies.”

He prayed that atomic energy be placed at the service of life and peace.

Monday, 27 April: Audience with the Archbishop of Canterbury

Pope Leo XIV received Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, on the 60th anniversary of the historic meeting between Saint Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey.

He greeted the Anglican Centre in Rome — also founded 60 years ago — and its newly commissioned Director, Bishop Anthony Ball, who was to be installed as the Archbishop’s Representative to the Holy See that evening.

The Pope acknowledged that new difficulties have made the path to full communion harder to discern, but insisted the challenges cannot become a pretext for inaction. He cited his episcopal motto — In Illo uno unum (“In the One — Christ — we are one”, from Saint Augustine) — and repeated his predecessor’s warning that Christian division undermines the Church’s witness.

“It would be a scandal if, due to our divisions, we did not fulfil our common vocation to make Christ known.”

“It would also be a scandal if we did not continue to work towards overcoming our differences, no matter how intractable they may appear.”

Earlier that morning the Pope blessed the first stone of the “Centro Cuore — Papa Francesco” cardiovascular centre at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. Drawing on Pope Francis’s final encyclical Dilexit nos, he reflected that the heart is “the centre and synthesis of the human person” and urged those working there to attend carefully to human and Christian formation as the institution grows.

Wednesday, 29 April: General Audience — Reflecting on Africa

At his weekly General Audience in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV reflected on his Apostolic Journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea (13–23 April).

He described Algeria, the land of Saint Augustine, as a chance to revisit “the roots of my spiritual identity” and to strengthen the bridge with the Islamic world. Of the welcome he received, he said the visit showed it is possible to “live together as brothers and sisters, even of different religions.”

In Cameroon he called for reconciliation and denounced neo-colonialism. In Angola he was moved by the witness of catechists, religious and faithful at the Marian Sanctuary of Mamã Muxima.

The moment that stayed with him most came from the prison in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, where inmates sang a song of thanksgiving in the rain and then prayed the Our Father with him.

“I had never seen anything like it. A genuine sign of the Kingdom of God!”

He closed with gratitude for what the African peoples gave him: “an immeasurable treasure for my heart and my ministry.”

Thursday, 30 April: May Prayer Intention — Food for All

Pope Leo XIV released his “Pray with the Pope” prayer intention for May, on the theme of food and global hunger. He called on communities to pursue concrete gestures such as food banks and sober, responsible lifestyles.

“Awaken in us a new awareness: that we learn to thank for every food, to consume simply, to share with joy, and to care for the fruits of the earth as a gift from You, destined for all, not just a few.”

“May no one be excluded from the common table, and may Your Spirit teach us to see bread not as an object of consumption, but as a sign of communion and care.”

Take-Away Points:

“You are a channel, not a filter” — the priest’s mission is to open doors, not guard them; keeping the threshold clear is itself a form of evangelisation.

“Chernobyl as warning” — the 40th anniversary prompted the Pope to urge that all use of atomic energy be placed at the service of life and peace, not power.

“Ecumenism is not optional” — Christian division weakens the Church’s witness to peace; working towards unity, however slowly, is a Gospel obligation.

In Illo uno unum — the Pope’s episcopal motto (“In the One — Christ — we are one”) frames his ecumenical approach: unity is not a diplomatic goal but a Christological reality.

“I had never seen anything like it” — prisoners singing in the rain in Equatorial Guinea became the defining image of the African Apostolic Journey — a spontaneous sign of the Kingdom.

“May no one be excluded from the common table” — the May prayer intention calls Catholics to move from the logic of consumption to a culture of solidarity, with food banks and sober lifestyles as concrete expressions.

Sources:

2026-04-26 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/04/26/260426a.html

2026-04-26 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/04/26/260426b.html

2026-04-27 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/04/27/260427d.html

2026-04-27 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/04/27/260427e.html

2026-04-29 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/04/29/260429b.html

2026-04-30 – https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/04/30/260430d.html