Pray so as to witness to Christ, Pope tells pilgrims
June 21, 2026
Pope Leo XIV encouraged pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday Angelus address (video).to pray so as to witness to Christ.
Reflecting on today’s Gospel reading at Mass (Matthew 10:26-33), Pope Leo said that Christ “draws a parallel between what we hear ‘in private,’ namely, what is in the secret of our hearts, and what we are called to proclaim to everyone. He reminds us that proclaiming the Gospel is first and foremost a sharing of a personal encounter with him, which is unique to each of us.”
“The strength of any apostolate, in fact—beyond techniques and tools—comes from the work of the Holy Spirit within us and from the authenticity of our response,” the Pope continued. “We must not think that contemplation is an exclusive experience, reserved only for a few saints or for monks and hermits.”
Pope Leo explained:
We can all do it, by striving to set aside, amidst the commitments of our daily lives, quiet moments in which to enter into silence before God, to listen to his voice, to entrust our joys and concerns to him and to review our lives with him. This helps us to have a more firm and conscious faith, and consequently to be credible and free disciples, men and women capable of reflecting the light of the Gospel in every setting and every situation of life, and of bearing witness to it even where its value is not understood or accepted.
“It is a challenge to remain faithful to Jesus’ teachings and to proclaim his word: to respond to hatred with love, to arrogance with meekness, and to discouragement with perseverance,” the Pope added. “For this reason, we must deepen the roots of our faith and our mission in an intimate relationship with him.”
He concluded:
This gives us the strength not to despair, but to continue to share with everyone, in every circumstance, his message of hope, love and peace. The world greatly needs it! May the Virgin Mary help us to be missionary disciples of the Lord Jesus, each according to our own vocation.
The Pontiff then recited, in Latin, the Angelus, the Minor Doxology (three times), and the prayer for the faithful departed, before imparting his blessing.
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