Pope Leo XIV held his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, one week after undergoing surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his right lung, according to Vatican News. The Pontiff kept his customary circuit through the crowd in the popemobile, and he opened the gathering by thanking Catholics for their prayers and thanking God for his generosity.
"A primeira coisa que gostaria de dizer a vocês é: obrigado!" the Pope said, according to Vatican News, expressing gratitude for the support of the faithful's prayers and renewing his call for trust in God's goodness and mercy. Coverage of the audience by Folha de S.Paulo and Agência Brasil noted that it was his first popemobile ride since the operation and that he was cheered by those present.
Why it matters
The appearance marked the Pope's return to public duties at a moment when his health had been the subject of close attention. According to Agência Brasil, the audience was his first time back in the popemobile since the cancer surgery, and Folha de S.Paulo described the crowd's ovation. For the Vatican, the resumed weekly appointment signals a return to the normal rhythm of papal teaching, with the Pope continuing a catechetical cycle that was already under way before his hospitalization.
A catechesis on marriage and family
Continuing his series on the Second Vatican Council's pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes, the Pope focused his teaching on the good of the person and of society, which Vatican News reports he tied closely to married and family life.
According to Vatican News, the document describes marriage as an intimate community of conjugal life and love, grounded in the spouses' mutual self-giving, fidelity and an indissoluble bond, and strengthened by the grace of Christ. The Pope explained that conjugal love is not limited to erotic attraction but engages the whole will of the spouses, reviving the affections of the soul and finding expression in feelings and gestures of tenderness, Vatican News reported.
The Pontiff also stressed that husband and wife are equal in dignity and that their love runs through the whole of their shared life, opening them to fruitfulness. Vatican News reports that the document calls children the greatest gift of marriage and holds that parents bear a human and Christian responsibility to welcome, protect and educate them according to God's law.
Protecting life and the family's social role
The Pope restated the constitution's teaching that human life must never be discarded and must be safeguarded from the first moment of conception, with abortion and infanticide to be avoided, according to Vatican News. In transmitting life, the document says, spouses become cooperators in the love of God the Creator.
Vatican News also reports that the Pope highlighted the family's social function, describing it in the document's terms as a school of human enrichment and the foundation of society. The constitution calls on those with social responsibilities, especially in political and cultural life, to work effectively for the promotion of marriage and the family.
According to Vatican News, the Pope said this commitment is more urgent than ever and noted that the Church is aware of the challenge, pointing to the pastoral attention of successive popes since the last Council, including the two synodal assemblies convened by Pope Francis. He concluded by entrusting families around the world to the Holy Family of Nazareth, asking for its light and protection.
What to watch
The Vatican has not indicated any change to the Pope's schedule following the audience, and attention will now turn to whether he maintains his regular public appearances in the coming weeks.
