Pope Leo XIV addressed Latin American priests, seminarians, and religious studying in Rome. The gathering at the Vatican was organized by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America for the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The meeting theme was "Mary: Star of Evangelization and Mission for Latin America Today." The Pope urged attendees to announce the absolute primacy of Christ in today's confusing and noisy society. He encouraged them to remain faithful to their calling by nurturing their relationship with God through Scripture, prayer, and study.
3 days ago
Pope Leo XIV issued messages on December 12, 2025, tied to the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.1 2
These included a specific address to Latin American priests, seminarians, and religious in Rome, and a homily during Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.1 2
Both emphasized Mary's role in evangelization amid modern challenges.1 2
Pope Leo urged priests, seminarians, and religious to proclaim Christ's primacy in a "confusing society of noise."1
He called them to follow Christ's invitation faithfully, through joys and difficulties, prioritizing God above all.1
Vocation demands detachment from human securities and deep knowledge of divine law, echoing St. Ambrose.1
The Pope highlighted Jesus' closeness to Peter, sustaining disciples amid frailty and selfishness.1
He entrusted them to Our Lady of Guadalupe for courage in mission.1
Delivered in Spanish, the homily reflected on Mary's joy in the Gospel, transforming lives as at Tepeyac in 1531.2
Pope Leo invoked Mary to heal global divisions, hatred, and lies, teaching authority as service.2
He prayed for her to welcome migrants, reach lapsed Catholics, and unite those sowing Church discord.2
Mary's message, "Am I not here, I who am your Mother?", promises divine faithfulness in conflicts.2
Both addresses sought Mary's intercession for worldwide and ecclesial harmony.1 2
The Pope decried irreconcilable sides and domination, urging nations to safeguard human dignity.2
In the Church, he aimed to restore unity "in the charity that makes communion possible."2
Clergy must announce Gospel renewal without tarnishing the Church's sanctity.1 2
Specific pleas targeted youth against crime, addictions, and faith loss.2
Families need strength for tender, firm education; educators, clarity in truth.2
For clergy, Mary should guard prayer life, temptations, and weariness.2
This aligns with nurturing vocations via Scripture, prayer, and Church wisdom.1
Guadalupe symbolizes joy awakening in the Americas, with Mary desiring closeness via shrines.2
She turns "winter into a time of roses," sustaining believers in shadows.2
Pope Leo, with Latin American ties, positioned Mary as star of mission today.1 2
Believers become "living stones" proclaiming Christ's wonders.1
Assert Christ’s primacy amid global division and media noise
Imagine standing in a bustling city square, surrounded by blaring screens, endless notifications pinging on phones, and voices shouting from every direction—politicians dividing us into camps, social media algorithms feeding outrage, cultures clashing in a cacophony of fear and fragmentation. Global division and media noise threaten to drown out the one voice that matters most: the voice of Christ, our Savior and King. Today, I invite you to pause amid this storm and assert Christ’s primacy—to declare boldly that He is the Head of the Church, the source of all unity, the leaven that transforms the dough of our divided world. As Pope Leo XIV reminds us, the Gospel does not erase cultures but kneads them with faith, fermenting hope where despair ferments. In this Third Sunday of Advent, as we prepare for the Prince of Peace, let us reclaim His reign over every noise.
At the heart of our faith lies a profound truth: Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church. The Catechism teaches that He is "the principle of creation and redemption," preeminent in everything, especially through His Church, where He extends His reign. Raised to the Father's glory, Jesus precedes us into the kingdom, dwelling on earth in His mystical Body, the Church, which lives from Him, in Him, and for Him. This is no abstract doctrine but a living reality: the Church is united in Christ, her members bound together as one, with Him as the loving Bridegroom who sanctifies His spotless Bride.
Pope Leo XIV echoes this in his message to the indigenous peoples, drawing from Saint John Paul II: the Gospel "transforms and regenerates" every culture, rectifying elements while planting "seeds of the Word" that blossom under God's pruning. It does not change to fit cultures; rather, it elevates them toward abundant life in Christ (Jn 10:10). Similarly, in his words to Mexico's National Missionary Congress, the Holy Father unveils the parable of the leaven (Mt 13:33): the Kingdom spreads not by force, but like fermented dough from past days mixed into new flour, transforming it entirely from within. Saint Jerome saw the Church as that woman, patiently integrating faith into history; Saint John Chrysostom marveled how yeast, buried, "changes everything to its own condition." This is Christ's primacy at work—subtle, patient, unstoppable—amid the "millstone" of our era's poverty, divisions, technologies, and unrest.
Our Blessed Lord calls pastors and faithful alike to this: govern by serving, evangelize by forming, knead the world's dough with hands dirty from love. Blessed Juan de Palafox y Mendoza embodied this in Puebla, a missionary bishop whose fatherhood still echoes in simple faith. Through ordained ministry, especially bishops and priests, Christ's headship becomes visible, like a living image of the Father. All salvation flows from Christ the Head through His Body, the Church. In this bond, the good of each member communicates to all, with Christ's riches poured out via the sacraments.
Consider the dawn of faith in the Americas. Missionaries—Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians—arrived with the Gospel's leaven. At Tepeyac, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared, not erasing indigenous symbols but kneading them into the flour of salvation, inviting a people to "do whatever He tells you" (Jn 2:5). Faith flourished: cultures, languages, hopes transformed into holiness, education, charity. The dough rose into bread for the hungry heart.
Now picture our world: media noise amplifies divisions—wars in distant lands, culture wars at home, algorithms that trap us in echo chambers. Yet Christ’s primacy shines through. Recall indigenous peoples gathering for their Jubilee, presenting their "human, cultural, and Christian wealth" with parrhesia—that bold freedom Pope Francis loved, stepping out fearlessly to proclaim the Gospel. The Church listens, enriched by their voices in the "magnificent choir" of praise (Te Deum). Or think of Puebla's missionaries today, countering "bad yeast" of despair with the Risen Christ's leaven, hands plunged into history's dough.
These stories mirror your life. A family divided by politics finds unity at the Eucharist, where Christ’s Body nourishes all. A young person scrolling endlessly discovers silence in Adoration, hearing the Head above the noise. Even global fractures—migration crises, technological upheavals—yield to the Gospel's fermentation, as cultures dialogue and discover Christ's abundant life.
How does this apply to you, amid your own storms? Christ’s primacy demands we reorder our gaze: not to power, domination, or technology at the center, but to the Lord, source of life. In a media-saturated world, curate your inputs—limit screens, seek truth in Church teaching, prayer. Let the leaven work: small acts of service leaven neighborhoods torn by division.
In families, be yeast against arguments: listen like Christ, forgive like His Bridegroom love (Eph 5:25). At work, amid competitive noise, serve without dominating, as Palafox taught. Globally, support missionaries who knead faith into divided cultures, echoing Leo XIV's call to make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19-20). The Church's communion of goods means Christ's riches flow to you through sacraments—Confession to heal divisions, Eucharist to unite as one Body.
Brothers and sisters, do not be conformed to this noisy world—plunge your hands into its dough! With parrhesia, proclaim Christ’s primacy: share your faith online countering lies, volunteer in divided communities, pray the Rosary for global peace. Commit this week: one act of leavening—forgive a rival, evangelize a friend, fast from media one hour daily to hear His voice. Pastors, form your flocks as Christ’s visible Head. All authority finds meaning in making Jesus known, who died and rose for our salvation.
In summary, amid global division and media noise, Christ reigns supreme as Head of His Church-Body, transforming cultures like leaven in dough, calling us to bold mission. Let nothing displace Him. As Pope Leo XIV entrusts us to Mary of Guadalupe, Star of Evangelization, who breaks down walls of hostility (Eph 2:14), renew your "yes" to the Great Commission.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, Head of the Church, silence the noise, heal our divisions, make us Your leaven in the world. Through Mary, grant us parrhesia to proclaim Your primacy. Amen.