Pope Leo XIV: Let Us Not Retreat into Our Convictions but Remain Open to Christ

Vatican City, 23 August 2026: Pope Leo XIV urged Christians to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and renew it each day, saying this relationship can transform both their lives and the world.

Speaking during the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, 23 August, the Pope called on the faithful not to retreat into their own convictions and religious certainties, but to remain open to an authentic relationship with Christ.

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“At times, when it comes to the Christian faith, we may be content with what we have merely ‘heard,’ with common assumptions or with what has been handed down to us,” Pope Leo said. He stressed that Jesus calls each person to give a personal response, know Him more closely and allow friendship with Him to shape their lives.

Reflecting on the Sunday Gospel from Matthew, in which Jesus asks His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”, the Pope described the question as fundamental for Christians of every age.

He emphasised that faith requires continually rediscovering Christ’s Gospel and renewing life choices so that they remain consistent with what Christians profess. This, he said, helps believers overcome the temptation to think they already know everything and prevents faith from becoming merely a habit.

Pope Leo also encouraged Christians to remain open to unfamiliar paths and choices. He noted that renewing friendship with Christ can require decisions different from those originally imagined, both in personal life and in the journey of the Church and its pastoral choices.

The Pope warned against assuming that it is enough to continue doing things as they have always been done. He invited the faithful to reflect: “Who is the Lord for me? Do I truly know him? What is his Gospel asking of me today? What steps and what choices am I called to make?”

He said these questions emerge particularly through prayer and meditation on the Gospel, as well as when Christians encounter the wounds and needs of others and situations that challenge their conscience.

Pope Leo concluded by urging believers to discover in their daily lives whether Jesus is merely a historical figure or truly the Christ of God, sent to bring humanity into the love of the Father and transform lives and the world.

Courtesy: Vatican News