Speak Out Against Evil, Pope Leo XIV Charges the Church
Source: Vatican News
The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has urged the Church to speak boldly against evil in all its forms during the Weekly General Audience held at St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, 6 May 2026.
Reflecting on the eschatological dimension of the Church as presented in Lumen Gentium, the Pontiff emphasized that the Church has the responsibility to reject all forms of evil and oppose everything that diminishes human life and hinders development, while leading God’s people toward salvation through Jesus Christ.
Addressing the faithful gathered at St. Peter’s Square, the Pope stated: “The Church is the pilgrim people of God on earth who, drawing precisely on the final promise, reads and interprets the dynamics of history through the Gospel, denouncing evil in all its forms and proclaiming, in word and deed, the salvation that Christ wishes to bring about for all humanity and His Kingdom.”
Revisiting the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, particularly Chapter VII on the eschatological dimension of the Church, Pope Leo XIV explained that the Church and the faithful are ultimately destined for heaven and that this truth should remain central in Christian life and mission.
Emphasizing the need to reject everything that destroys human dignity and life, the Holy Father said: “As a guardian of a hope that enlightens the path, the Church is also invested with the mission of speaking clearly to reject everything that mortifies life and prevents its development, and also to take the position of the poor, the exploited, the victims of violence and war, and all those who suffer in body and in spirit.”
The Pope further noted that the Church is: “the place and the means where union with Christ is realized more closely,” while also recognizing that salvation may be granted by God through the Holy Spirit even beyond the visible boundaries of the Church.
Speaking on the fullness of life and peace offered by God, the Pontiff recalled that Lumen Gentium describes the Church as: “the universal sacrament of salvation, that is the sign and instrument of that fullness of life and peace promoted by God.”
During the audience, Pope Leo XIV also highlighted that all Christians form one Church, stressing the importance of unity, communion, and the sharing of spiritual gifts for the common mission and common good. He noted that this communion between the earthly Church and the heavenly Church is especially experienced in the liturgy and in the communion of saints.
He concluded by saying, “Let us be grateful to the Council Fathers for reminding us of this most important and beautiful aspect of being Christian, and may we strive to cultivate it in our lives.”
Anita Aryeh
DEPSOCOM, Accra.
