Pope Leo XIV’s General Audience in St. Peter’s Square

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The peace be with you.

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome.

Today I wish to speak to you about the apostolic journey to France that I made in recent days. It was a great gift for me and for the people of God in that country, and I give thanks to the Lord. I express once again my gratitude to all those who welcomed me, civil authorities and pastors of the Church, and to the very many who wanted to meet the Pope or even just to greet him in the streets as apostle of Christ and messenger of peace. Thank you to everyone. I would like to gather the thoughts and impressions, still very vivid, of this pastoral visit around one great symbol, the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. On the afternoon of the first day we celebrated the vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a solemn and at the same time festive liturgy in which the music, the singing and the beauty of the temple made hearts united in prayer vibrate. Notre-Dame itself, with the drama it has lived through, can symbolically illuminate this entire apostolic journey, offering a key of interpretation that I would summarize in one word: rebirth. The cathedral of Paris, which only seven years ago seemed mortally wounded by an enormous fire, is now rebuilt and more splendid than ever. That disaster provoked a positive reaction at all levels, some more visible and practical, others more hidden, of a spiritual order. Its restoration was a test of the possible collaboration between Church, State, public institutions and civil society. This attitude made it possible to make the best use of the generosity of benefactors, as well as the skills of professionals and craftsmen. Synergy for the common good should be the normal style of institutions, of political and social forces, of those who have civil and economic responsibilities. It is the message I wished to convey to the French authorities, as well as to the members of UNESCO, the United Nations organization for education, science and culture, based in Paris, indicating what is the fundamental criterion on which to base such collaboration: the dignity of the human person. But above all, Notre-Dame is the image of the Church of living stones, of the holy people of God. It is interesting to compare the celebration of vespers in the cathedral with the vigil of the young people that took place that same evening in the great Stade de France in Paris. Two completely different places, and yet two complementary events, almost united spiritually. What united them? The Church, which is not made of stones or cement, but of people who love Jesus Christ because they have been loved by him. At Notre-Dame there were the priests and deacons, the consecrated persons, the pastoral workers. At the stadium there was the new French generation, new I say not only in age, but even more in spirit, in freedom of heart and of faith. Young people who sang, shouted, but who also remained in silence, in listening, attentive and moved faces that manifested hearts desirous of truth and love. So to them I said with joy: "You are the saints of France, that vigil was a great sign of hope. Just as it was in the smallness that God prefers, so too the meeting at the Maison Bakita, a house of welcome for various people in difficulty, one of the many places, fruits of the Gospel, in which one commits daily to serving with love the dignity of the human person. There is nevertheless in the Church in France a sign of rebirth that has lasted for some years, namely the notable and growing number of young people and adults who ask for baptism. On this beautiful surprise of God, a provincial synodal assembly is underway in Paris in which I was able to intervene, encouraging the journey of catechumens and neophytes together with the communities to which they belong. The culminating event of my visit to the capital was the Mass at the Place de la Concorde. There the sign of rebirth appeared in a surprising way. The liturgical assembly that in the vast square gathered the priests, the choir and a considerable multitude, extended along the whole of the Champs-Élysées, up to the Arc de Triomphe and beyond. At the moment of communion all were able to approach the Eucharist distributed in every place. Here is the true reconstruction, the restoration of the Church that only God can do through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. And so it was natural and necessary that after Paris I should go as a pilgrim to Lourdes, to venerate the Mother of the Church, Mary, she who in the hour of the passion and death keeps the lamp of faith and hope burning. At Lourdes the Lord, through the maternal care of the Virgin Mary, communicates to all pilgrims and especially to the sick in body and spirit a message of hope and rebirth. A message that I wished to openly relaunch. Every human life, in whatever condition, even of the greatest fragility, keeps its inviolable dignity and deserves to be cared for, accompanied, relieved from suffering with human compassion and with the aid of the means offered by science. For this reason Lourdes represents for the whole world a sanctuary of the civilization of love. In this context I met some victims of abuse and I asked them to help me express also to other victims the will of mine and of the whole Church to listen to them and to walk with them while they seek healing, acknowledging the pain caused in their lives and working for the prevention of abuse. The third and final stage of the apostolic journey was the city of Metz, in a region of France and of Europe tormented by the Second World War. There worked Robert Schuman, one of the main inspirers of the process of European unification. Contemporary Europe was born precisely as a project of peace after the destruction of war. We can say that what happened at Notre-Dame in Paris with the fire had come to Europe with the Second World War, and Europe was reborn on the basis of those principles of democracy, solidarity and fraternity among peoples that owe much to their Christian roots. Even today it is on this foundation and with this vital sap that the Europe project can renew itself in a much more globalized world where interreligious dialogue plays a role of primary importance. For this reason at Metz I met the representatives of the different religious traditions, who read and signed in my presence the Metz appeal for dialogue and peace. Dearest ones, the theme of my pastoral visit to France was: "That the world may have life." These are words of Jesus that summarize his whole mission of salvation and that during the journey expressed in fullness the evangelical sense of every encounter. May they now inspire our prayer in asking God that this event of grace may bear abundant and lasting fruits.

I cordially greet the French-speaking pilgrims from Canada, from France, from Luxembourg. I was struck by the fervour and enthusiasm with which I was welcomed in France. I give thanks to God and I pray that the pastors may continue to correspond to the expectations of the faithful, in particular to those of the young people. I bless you from my heart.

England, Ghana, Australia, India, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, United States of America. Special greeting to the Pontifical Irish College and the pilgrims attending the diaconal ordination of the Pontifical North American College that will take place tomorrow. Upon all of you and your families I invoke the peace and unity of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all.