Addressing the faithful, the Pope began with the words of the Apostle John: “We have an advocate before God: Jesus Christ, the righteous one,” and he invited all present to contemplate the mystery of salvation as God’s initiative of mercy toward a humanity marked by weakness and sin.
Christ, he said, “took upon himself the evil found in humanity and in the world (…) and has overcome this evil, transforming it and freeing us forever.”
Greeting Prince Albert II of Monaco, Archbishop Dominique-Marie David, and the clergy and faithful, the Pope expressed his joy at sharing in the life of a local Church distinguished by its diversity and openness.
The gift of communion
Reflecting on Jesus as our advocate, Pope Leo XIV first highlighted the gift of communion. Christ, he said, “reconciles us with the Father and with one another,” not through condemnation, but through mercy that “purifies, heals, transforms and makes us part of the one family of God.”
This communion, he noted, is also social in its implications. Jesus’ mission restores not only spiritual well-being but also human dignity, reintegrating individuals into the community. In this light, the Church is called to be “a reflection in this world of the love of God which shows no favouritism.”
Turning to the local context, the Pope observed that Monaco’s social and cultural diversity is a richness, not a division. “In the Church,” he said, “such variety should never become the occasion of division into social classes,” but rather a sign that all are welcomed as “persons and children of God.”
A Church that defends the human person
The Pope then highlighted a second dimension of Christ’s advocacy: the proclamation of the Gospel in defence of every human being. Jesus, he said, gives voice to those “forgotten and marginalised,” revealing a merciful God who “works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.”
In this perspective, the Church herself is called to be an “advocate,” committed to the integral development of the human person. The Gospel, he explained, must illuminate human identity, relationships, and the ultimate meaning of life.
Encouraging renewed missionary zeal, Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful to “proclaim the Gospel of life, hope and love,” defending human dignity “from conception until natural death.” He also warned against the pressures of secularism, which risk reducing human life to individualism and economic productivity.
A living and prophetic faith
The Pope cautioned against allowing faith to become routine. “A living faith is always prophetic,” he said, capable of raising questions about justice, solidarity, and the ethical foundations of society.
Questioning whether the current economic and social models truly promote the dignity of all, or whether they remain confined to “the logic of profit as an end in itself,” the Pope concluded, inviting the faithful to fix their gaze on Christ, which he said, leads to a faith that transforms both personal life and society.
Such faith, he exhorted, must be communicated “through a fresh language and by new tools, including those that are digital,” with particular attention to those rediscovering their faith.