El Papa recuerda que la santidad es una vocación universal que interpela a cada uno

The Solemnity of All Saints, which we celebrate today, “invites us to experience the joy of that countless family of men and women who, following the Lord Jesus, made their lives a gift to God and neighbor and who, on the different paths of sanctification, longed for 'the ocean of infinite love,'‘ Leo XIV declared this Sunday. Angelus, according to a beautiful expression of Pope Benedict XVI (Encyclical. Spe salvi, 12)”.

Today, in fact, we celebrate all the saints, the Vicar of Christ explained. “Those whom the Church has recognized as such, and also so many who have not been, but whom God knows.”.

Addressing the numerous pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope, who again referred to sport while commenting on the start of the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal, the first Olympic event on African soil, stressed that "saints are the most beautiful and strongest sign of the Kingdom of God that is coming; indeed —as Jesus teaches— that it is already among us.".

Holiness is not a privilege for a few.

The Pope explained that this blessed multitude of the saints It encompasses the most varied origins, cultures and life situations: “holiness is not a privilege for a few, but a universal vocation that challenges each of us wherever we live.”.

This is the hopeful message of today's feast, explained the Successor of Peter. “God sees the good that we do not see, knows stories that we do not know, and reaches hearts to which we have no access.”.

What did the saints do?

As today's Gospel reminds us in the episode of the Beatitudes, the saints were "poor in spirit, but rich in the love of God," the Pope described.

“Their faces are streaked with tears, but they are comforted in prayer. 

They are meek in the face of violence and rewarded by the Father. Hungry for justice and satisfied in the depths of their conscience. Ready to forgive and embraced by mercy. Disarmed in heart, but protected by God. Peacemakers, whom God calls by name. Persecuted and offended, but strong in faith and charity.

It is impossible to “count” the multitude of these brothers and sisters, the Pope continued, and not only in numerical terms.

“Holiness, in fact, cannot be reduced to any calculation, because that is the kind of good that all the saints have spread around the world.”.

“Gestures and decisions of love” 

“Looking at them with admiration, we ask ourselves: what did these people, with the grace of God, do? Essentially, gestures and decisions of love, which surpass the calculations of greed and the arrogance of evil that sometimes seems to prevail,” added Leo XIV.

Finally, the Pope prayed that “the Virgin Mary, blessed for having believed in the word of the Lord, may accompany our steps on the path of holiness, so that we may not tire of building peace, both in the most important events and in the simplest ones of daily life.”.

Martyrs of Georgia, help in Oleshky

Following the recitation of the Angelus prayer, the Pope referred to the beatification in Georgia of five Spanish Franciscan friars who “generously responded to the Lord’s call to evangelize the peoples of America, even giving their lives. Let us invoke the intercession of these martyrs for all missionaries of the Gospel.”.

As a result of the humanitarian actions carried out by the Holy See for help the civilian population From the city of Oleshky, the Pope hopes that “the collaboration between the parties, which made this necessary gesture of humanity possible, will foster dialogue and encourage new concrete peace initiatives. We entrust to Mary, Queen of Peace and of all Saints, all those who suffer because of war throughout the world.”.

Mission with the Poor

The Pope then noted “a ray of hope in the world of sport” in the Youth Olympic Games, for athletes aged 15 to 18, which are being held in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, from yesterday until November 13. 

Finally, before greeting the pilgrims and faithful in St. Peter's Square, he announced that the Mission with the Poor, promoted by the Friars Minor, would take place in Rome from November 8 to 15, and congratulated "the sons of St. Francis, who, with this initiative, put the poor at the center, as did the Lord Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi.".