Pope Leo: Families Are the Key to Unity, Faith, and World Peace
2min read • 6/1/25
Written by Thomas J. Swanson
Pope Leo XIV’s first appearance on the Loggia of St. Peter’s
A Divine Gift of Unity
At the closing Mass for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV offered a wide-ranging reflection on the meaning of family, urging all to root their love in Christ as a source of unity and peace.
Drawing from the Gospel of the day, the Pope recalled Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper “that all may be one,”
calling it
“the greatest good that we can desire.”
This unity, he said, is a divine gift — flowing from the same love that created life and brought salvation.
“God’s love is an infinite love that knows no end,”
he reminded, affirming that each person is loved by God just as fully as the Son.
Dependence and Mutual Care
Referencing Pope Francis, he noted that no one chooses to be born — underscoring our dependence on others from the very beginning.
“All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship,”
he said,
“a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care.”
Though such kindness can be betrayed, the Pope said Christ continues to pray for us, and His prayer
“makes fully meaningful our experience of love for one another as parents, grandparents, sons and daughters.”
Unity Without Uniformity
This call to love finds its first testing ground at home.
“We are here to be ‘one’ in our families and in those places where we live, work, and study.”
Unity, he clarified, does not mean uniformity. Despite our differences,
“we are called to be one, always and in every situation and stage of life.”
In an age marked by division, Pope Leo challenged families to be signs of peace:
“If we ground our love in Christ, we will be a sign of peace for everyone, in society and the world.”
That peace, he emphasized, begins in the family,
“the cradle of humanity’s future.”
Marriage as a Measure of True Love
Highlighting couples canonized together — like Louis and Zélie Martin and the Ulma family — he insisted the marriage bond is
“not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman: a love that is total, faithful and fruitful.”
Such relationships, he said, shape the moral compass of children.
Faith is Generational
“Faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation,”
he stressed, calling on children to honor their parents and urging elders to guide with
“wisdom and compassion, and with the humility and patience that comes with age.”
In the end, he said, the family is where faith is learned, lived, and loved —
“shared like food at the family table and like love in our hearts.”
It is, he concluded,
“a privileged place to meet Jesus.”