Pope Leo XIV began a series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council at his first general audience of 2026 on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The public audience, held indoors in the Vatican\u2019s Paul VI Hall due to low temperatures, took place shortly before the start of Leo\u2019s first consultation with cardinals, called a consistory, convened for Jan. 7\u20138.<\/p>\n
The pope noted that though the Second Vatican Council took place just over 60 years ago, its generation of bishops, theologians, and lay Catholics is no longer alive \u2014 necessitating a renewed study of its teachings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we hear the call not to let [the council\u2019s] prophecy fade, and to continue to seek ways and means to implement its insights, it will be important to get to know it again closely, and to do so not through \u2018hearsay\u2019 or interpretations that have been given, but by rereading its documents and reflecting on their content,\u201d the pope said on the morning of Jan. 7.<\/p>\n
He affirmed that the magisterium of Vatican II \u201cstill constitutes the guiding star of the Church\u2019s journey today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the years have passed, the conciliar documents have lost none of their timeliness; indeed, their teachings are proving particularly relevant to the new situation of the Church and the current globalized society,\u201d he said, quoting Pope Benedict XVI.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV gives the first general audience of 2026 in the Vatican\u2019s Paul VI Hall on Jan. 7, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media<\/p>\n
The Holy Father also recalled the original impulse of this great ecclesial event, convened by St. John XXIII, which paved \u201cthe way for a new ecclesial season\u201d following a \u201crich biblical, theological, and liturgical reflection spanning the 20th century.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo reviewed some of the council\u2019s principal fruits, including that it \u201crediscovered the face of God as the Father who, in Christ, calls us to be his children.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also led, he said, to a renewed understanding of the Church \u201cas a mystery of communion and sacrament of unity between God and his people,\u201d and it initiated an important \u201cliturgical reform\u201d by placing the mystery of salvation and the active and conscious participation of the entire people of God at its center.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helped us to open up to the world and to embrace the changes and challenges of the modern age in dialogue and co-responsibility, as a Church that wishes to open her arms to humanity,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Quoting St. Paul VI, he stated that the Church embarked on a new path in order \u201cto seek the truth by way of ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, and dialogue with people of goodwill.\u201d<\/p>\n
That same spirit, he added, \u201cmust characterize our spiritual life and the pastoral action of the Church, because we have yet to achieve ecclesial reform more fully in a ministerial sense and, in the face of today\u2019s challenges, we are called to continue to be vigilant interpreters of the signs of the times, joyful proclaimers of the Gospel, courageous witnesses of justice and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we approach the documents of Vatican Council II and rediscover their prophetic and contemporary relevance, we welcome the rich tradition of the life of the Church and, at the same time, we question ourselves about the present and renew our joy in running towards the world to bring it the Gospel of the kingdom of God, a kingdom of love, justice, and peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.<\/p>\n