Pope Leo XIV Highlights Harmony of the Church’s Human and Divine Nature

Photo Credit: Vatican Media

At the weekly General Audience on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, reflected on the Church’s human and divine dimensions, drawing from the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium. He emphasized that there is no opposition between these two realities, reminding the faithful that the Church is not an abstract ideal removed from history, but the living Church of Christ present in the world.

Quoting the Council’s teaching, the Pope noted that an “ideal and pure” Church detached from earthly realities does not exist. Rather, the one Church of Christ journeys through history, embodying both divine grace and human fragility. He described the Church as a “complex reality,” a theme introduced in the opening chapters of Lumen gentium, where the mystery of her human and divine dimensions is carefully articulated.

The Holy Father explained that the Church is both visible and spiritual, structured and historical, yet sustained by divine life. In her, the human and divine coexist without confusion or separation. While marked by human weakness, the Church remains guided by the grace of God, journeying toward her ultimate destination: heaven.

Illustrating this mystery, Pope Leo XIV compared the Church’s life to the earthly ministry of Christ. Just as those who encountered Jesus on the roads of Palestine experienced both His humanity and divinity, seeing His face, hearing His voice, and witnessing His works, so too does the Church continue His presence in history.

In further reflection, the Pope referenced Pope Benedict XVI’s meeting with the Swiss Bishops, recalling that the structures of the Church serve the concrete realization of the Gospel and foster holiness among the faithful. These structures, he noted, are not ends in themselves but instruments at the service of Christ’s mission.

Concluding his address, the Holy Father encouraged the faithful to embrace God’s love authentically, particularly through acts of charity and almsgiving, thereby strengthening the Church’s witness in the world.

Anita Aryeh
DEPSOCOM, Accra