Pope Leo XIV delivers first homily as bishop of Rome at Basilica of St. John Lateran

ROME — Pope Leo XIV delivered his first homily as bishop of Rome at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where he took possession of his cathedra (throne) on Sunday.

The pontiff said ecclesial communion is built “on our knees, through prayer and constant commitment to conversion” as he invoked the example of the first Christians, who faced the challenges of proclaiming the Gospel to a pagan world.

Reflecting on the episode from the Acts of the Apostles, where the early Christians debated about whether Gentile converts had to follow the law of Moses, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that “this was no easy matter; it called for much patience and mutual listening.”

He referenced the Council of Jerusalem, the first great council of the early Church, in which “a dialogue was opened” that led to a fitting decision: “Recognizing the difficulties of the new converts, they agreed not to impose excessive burdens on them but rather to insist only on what was essential.”

“In this way,” he added, “what might have seemed a problem became for everyone an opportunity for reflection and growth.” 

“The most important part of the entire event,” he emphasized, “was listening to God’s voice, which made everything else possible.” This, he said, is how communion is truly built. 

“For only in this way can each of us hear within the voice of the Spirit crying out ‘Abba! Father!’ and then, as a result, listen to and understand others as our brothers and sisters,” he continued. 

The day’s Gospel reading reinforced this point. “It assures us that we are not alone in making our decisions in life. The Spirit sustains us and shows us the way to follow, ‘teaching’ us and ‘reminding’ us of all that Jesus said,” the pope affirmed. 

“The more we let ourselves be convinced and transformed by the Gospel – allowing the power of the Spirit to purify our heart, to make our words straightforward, our desires honest and clear, and our actions generous – the more capable we are of proclaiming its message,” he added. 

For this reason, he stressed that, throughout the process – as in the Council of Jerusalem – “the most important listening” is that of listening to God’s voice. 

Addressing the cardinals of the Roman Curia, bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity of the Diocese of Rome, the pope continued: “I would like to express my firm desire to contribute to this great ongoing process by listening to everyone as much as possible, in order to learn, understand, and decide things together, as St. Augustine would say, ‘as a Christian with you and a bishop for you.’” 

“I would also ask you to support me in prayer and charity,” he said, “mindful of the words of St. Leo the Great: ‘All the good we do in the exercise of our ministry is the work of Christ and not our own, for we can do nothing without him. Yet we glory in him, from whom all the effectiveness of our work is derived.’” 

He recalled Blessed John Paul I, who, “with the joyful and serene face that had already earned him the nickname of ‘the Smiling Pope,’” took possession of the chair of the bishop of Rome in September 1978. 

“I too express my affection for you and my desire to share with you, on our journey together, our joys and sorrows, our struggles and hopes. I too offer you ‘the little I have and am,’ entrusting it to the intercession of SS. Peter and Paul and of all those other brothers and sisters of ours whose holiness has illuminated the history of this Church and the streets of this city,” he said. 

The pope also affirmed the legacy of the Church of Rome as “heir to a great history, grounded in the witness of Peter, Paul and countless martyrs,” and emphasized her unique mission: “to be ‘Omnium Ecclesiarum Mater,’ mother of all the Churches.” 

The Basilica of St. John Lateran bears the honorary title of “mother and head of all the Churches in the city of Rome and the whole world.” Taking this as a metaphor, the pope recalled that his predecessor Pope Francis invited the faithful to reflect on the “maternal dimension” of the Church and on its defining characteristics. 

Among these are “tenderness, self-sacrifice, and the capacity to listen,” traits that, the pope said, “enable her not only to assist others but often to anticipate their needs and expectations before they are even expressed.” 

“We hope that those qualities will be increasingly present in the people of God everywhere, including here, in our great diocesan family: in the faithful, in pastors, and, first of all, in myself,” he added.