Pope, in audience on Vatican II, speaks about the dignity and mission of the laity
April 01, 2026
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV spoke today about the dignity and mission of the laity.
The audience (video), which took place in St. Peter’s Square, was the twelfth in the series and the sixth devoted to Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964). Today’s audience was entitled “Living stones in the Church and witnesses in the world: The laity in the People of God.”
The fourth chapter of Lumen Gentium “seeks to explain, in positive terms, the nature and mission of the laity, after centuries in which they had been defined simply as those who are not part of the clergy or the consecrated life,” Pope Leo told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, as he quoted “a very beautiful passage that speaks to the greatness of the Christian condition”:
Therefore, the chosen People of God is one: ‘one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (Eph 4:5); sharing a common dignity as members from their regeneration in Christ, having the same filial grace and the same vocation to perfection; possessing in common one salvation, one hope and one undivided charity (LG, 32).
“Naturally, the greater the gift, the greater the commitment too,” the Pope continued. “For this reason, the Council, along with dignity, also emphasizes the mission of the laity in the Church and in the world.”
After reflecting on the common priesthood of the faithful—and distinguishing it from the ministerial priesthood—Pope Leo spoke about the lay apostolate:
The vast field of the lay apostolate is not confined to the Church, but extends to the world. Indeed, the Church is present wherever her children profess and bear witness to the Gospel: in the workplace, in civil society and in all human relationships, wherever they, through their choices, show the beauty of Christian life, which foretells here and now the justice and peace that will be accomplished in the Kingdom of God.
The world needs to “be permeated by the spirit of Christ, and more effectively fulfil its purpose in justice, charity and peace” (LG, 36). And this is possible only through the contribution, service and witness of the laity!
“It is an invitation to be the ‘outgoing’ Church that Pope Francis spoke to us about: a Church embodied in history, always open to mission, in which we are all called to be missionary disciples, apostles of the Gospel, witnesses of the Kingdom of God, bearers of the joy of Christ whom we have encountered,” the Pontiff concluded. “Brothers and sisters, may the Easter we are preparing to celebrate renew in us the grace to be, like Mary Magdalene, like Peter and John, witnesses of the Risen One!”
Audiences in series “Vatican Council II through its Documents”
- Introductory catechesis (1/7/26)
On Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (1965):
- God speaks to men as to friends (1/14/26)
- Jesus Christ reveals the Father (1/21/26)
- A single sacred deposit: The relationship between Scripture and Tradition (1/28/26)
- The Sacred Scripture: the Word of God in human words (2/4/26)
- The Word of God in the life of the Church (2/11/26)
On Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964)
- The mystery of the Church, sacrament of the union with God, and the unity of all humanity (2/18/26)
- No audience on 2/25 (Pope, Roman Curia on retreat)
- The Church, a Visible and Spiritual Reality (3/4/26)
- The Church, people of God (3/11/26)
- The Church, a Priestly and Prophetic People (3/18/26)
- On the foundation of the Apostles: The Church in her hierarchical dimension (3/25/26)
- Living stones in the Church and witnesses in the world: The laity in the People of God (4/1/26)
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
