St. Peter’s Square

Pope Leo emphasized the importance of the Gospel’s reach to “those oppressed by the evil that corrupts history and confuses consciences.”

This power “is God himself for he is Love who creates and generates, Love who is faithful to the end and Love who forgives and redeems.”

“Let us abandon every desire for conflict …  and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference “

“This Easter proclamation embraces the mystery of our lives and the destiny of history, reaching us even in the depths of death.”

Easter “invites us to lift our gaze and open our hearts,” the pope said, and announces that “the power of death is not the final destiny of our lives.”

At his first Palm Sunday, Pope Leo XIV declared that Jesus, the King of Peace, embraces all suffering in human history and cries out from the cross against war.

“Indeed, it is gestures of openness and attentiveness to others that rekindle joy. Certainly, in their simplicity, they set us against the current.”

The following is the full text of Pope Leo XIV’s Angelus address given Feb. 1 to those gathered in St. Peter’s Squarer, reflecting on Jesus Christ’s Beatitudes.

“By becoming man, he makes his heart known to us. The heart of Jesus, therefore, beats for every man and woman.”

Christians should take a moment to remember all God’s blessings of the past year and to reflect honestly on how they responded to those graces, Pope Leo said.