Church unity comes from faith in Christ and love, says Pope

By Josephine Peterson, OSV News

The Catholic Church is made up of diverse people who are united by their faith in Christ and are called to welcome all humanity, Pope Leo XIV said during his weekly general audience.

“Its unifying principle is not a language, a culture, an ethnicity, but faith in Christ,” he said in St. Peter's Square on March 11.

Lumen Gentium

Continuing his series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council, the Pope focused on the Dogmatic Constitution “The Dogmatic Constitution of the Council".“Lumen Gentium”The Church is described as the “People of God”.

The Church is the assembly of “all those who in faith look to Jesus,” he said, united not by nationality or culture, but by their shared faith in Christ.

The Pope said this understanding has its roots in the Bible, pointing to God's covenant with Abraham and the people of Israel, which prepared the way for the new covenant established through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Leo XIV affirmed that love is the law that governs relationships within the Church, as believers receive and experience it through Jesus. Through Christ, believers of all nations are united in faith, he said. The Church is the people of God who «draw their existence from the body of Christ and are, in turn, the body of Christ.».

Instead of closing in on itself, the Pope said, the Church must remain open to all.

«Unified in Christ, Lord and Savior of every man and woman, the Church can never withdraw into herself, but is open to all and is for all,» he said.

In a world marked by conflict and division, Pope Leo XIV added, the diversity of the Church is a sign of hope.

«It is a great sign of hope - especially in our times, marked by so many conflicts and wars - to know that the Church is a people in which women and men of diverse nationalities, languages and cultures live together in faith,» he said.

Lebanon and Iran

Before greeting the Italian speakers, the Pope affirmed that he was close to the Lebanese people «in this moment of grave trial» following the death of Father Pierre El-Rahi. The Maronite priest was killed in an Israeli bombing in southern Lebanon on March 9. The Pope announced that his funeral would be held on March 11 in Al-Qlayaa, a Christian village. 

In Arabic, ‘Adrachi’ means shepherd. Father Pierre was a true shepherd who always remained close to his people with the love and sacrifice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd," he said in Italian. As soon as he heard that some parishioners had been wounded in a bombing, without hesitation, he ran to help them.

Before the audience, Pope Leo XIV met privately with Cardinal Dominique J. Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran and Isfahan (Iran). The Belgian cardinal, a member of the Franciscan Order, arrived in Rome on March 8 after being evacuated along with all the members of the Italian Embassy, where he resides. 

During the general audience, Pope Leo XIV asked for prayers for peace in Iran and throughout the Middle East, especially for the many civilian victims and innocent children. 

«May our prayer be a consolation for those who suffer and a seed of hope for the future,» he said.