Learn from the Canaanite woman, Pope tells pilgrims
August 16, 2026
Pope Leo XIV said today that the Canaanite woman in the Sunday Gospel reading (Matthew 15:21-28) offers lessons for the Church.
“Although she did not belong to his people and lived in a foreign land, she persistently sought to speak with Jesus, following him like a disciple who already had a bond with him,” Pope Leo told pilgrims gathered in Castel Gandolfo for his midday Angelus address (video). “They had probably never met before, yet in a mysterious way, faith had already taken root in her.”
“Even today, the Church can be surprised by God’s work and spread the peace of Christ beyond boundaries already drawn,” the Pope continued. “Her mission is anticipated by divine grace, which works in the depths of our consciences, so that in every encounter—even those that disrupt our plans—we are to listen attentively by opening our eyes and hearts to what God wants to tell us.”
“From the Canaanite woman we learn humility and determination,” the Pope added. “Thanks to her faith, we learn that God’s table is set for everyone and that no one is left merely with crumbs (cf. vv. 26-27), because each person has his or her own place with the Father.”
The Pontiff concluded:
Dear brothers and sisters, we are the Church of Jesus Christ in a troubled world; a world that seeks peace. Let us ask Mary, our Mother, to intercede for us ‘because on her lips is proclaimed ‘the strongest and most innovative hymn ever articulated, the Magnificat’ (Magnifica Humanitas, 244). It is the song of one who now sees reality through God’s eyes and, for this reason, does not lose hope and acts in charity.
The Pope 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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