Lauding charismatic renewal, Pope compares baptism in the Spirit to St. Augustine’s experience
May 30, 2026
Repeating previous popes’ words of praise for the Catholic charismatic renewal, Pope Leo XIV compared the experience of baptism in the Spirit to St. Augustine’s own experience.
“Your shared journey of faith has its source in the personal experience of the Holy Spirit, which has enabled the grace of Baptism to become effective within each of you, leading you to a clear awareness of God’s love,” Pope Leo said during an address this morning to members of the Catholic charismatic renewal who had gathered in Paul VI Audience Hall (video).
The Pope continued:
This is the first powerful experience of grace that Saint Augustine himself had after his conversion and which he described in these heartfelt words: “O Christ Jesus, ‘my helper and redeemer’; suddenly it had become sweet to me to be without the sweets of folly. What I once feared to lose was now a delight to dismiss. You turned them out and entered to take their place, pleasanter than any pleasure” (Confessions, IX, 1, 1).
After reflecting on baptism in the Spirit, Pope Leo spoke about four other aspects of the Catholic charismatic renewal: prayer of praise, the word of God, communion, and charity.
“The renewed presence of the Spirit has awakened in you a new capacity to love, inspired by divine charity itself,” Pope Leo said. “Many works of charity for those in need, both in spirit and in body, have sprung from the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. I invite you, then, to keep alive this love for the poor, which reveals the true face of God.”
The Pope added:
Dear friends, I thank you for your commitment and encourage you to continue your mission. Put yourselves at the service of the dioceses and parishes, offering your experience and methods of evangelization. Faithfully follow the guidance of your priests; and, in your communal discernment, listen to the voices of wise people, even if they do not belong to your groups. Cultivate harmony and cooperation among the communities to which you belong, taking care never to give way to the desire for self-promotion, or the pursuit of power or personal prestige.
May the Holy Spirit always be a light and a source of strength on your personal and communal journey, and may the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, protect you.
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!
