Pope Leo XIV used the Vatican\u2019s final general audience of 2025 on Wednesday to invite Catholics to look back on the past year with gratitude and repentance, and to place what lies ahead in God\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n
In St. Peter\u2019s Square on Dec. 31, the pope said 2025 brought both joy and sorrow, citing the jubilee pilgrimage of the faithful as well as \u201cthe passing of the late Pope Francis\u201d and \u201cthe scenarios of war that continue to convulse the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt its end,\u201d Leo said, \u201cthe Church invites us to place everything before the Lord, entrusting ourselves to his providence, and asking him to renew, in us and around us, in the coming days, the wonders of his grace and mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV waves from the popemobile to pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Dec. 31, 2025, in St. Peter\u2019s Square at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media<\/p>\n
He tied that end-of-year spiritual \u201cdynamic\u201d to the Church\u2019s Te Deum observance, saying the hymn of praise and thanksgiving helps believers recognize God\u2019s gifts and renew hope. Leo noted that the prayer includes lines such as: \u201cYou are God: We praise you,\u201d \u201cIn you, Lord, is our hope,\u201d and \u201cHave mercy on us.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Vatican\u2019s published schedule, Leo was set to celebrate first vespers for the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, at 5 p.m. in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica, followed by the Te Deum.<\/p>\n
In his catechesis, the pope encouraged an honest examination of conscience, calling the faithful to reflect on God\u2019s action over the past year, to evaluate their response to his gifts, and to ask forgiveness for times they failed to follow his inspirations or invest well the talents entrusted to them.<\/p>\n
Leo also returned to a core jubilee image, describing life as a pilgrimage. \u201cThis reminds us that our whole life is a journey,\u201d he said, one that reaches its true fulfillment in \u201cthe encounter with God and in full and eternal communion with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV greets a young pilgrim during his Wednesday general audience on Dec. 31, 2025, in St. Peter\u2019s Square at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media<\/p>\n
The pope pointed to another emblematic jubilee practice, the passage through the Holy Door, describing it as a concrete sign of conversion and of the believer\u2019s yes to God, who \u201cinvites us to cross the threshold of a new life, animated by grace, modeled on the Gospel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking to Christmas, Leo recalled St. Leo the Great\u2019s preaching on the universal joy of Christ\u2019s birth: \u201cLet the saint rejoice \u2026 let the sinner rejoice \u2026 let the pagan take courage.\u201d The pope said that invitation extends to all, including those who feel weak or fragile, because Christ has taken human frailty upon himself and redeemed it.<\/p>\n
To close, Leo cited St. Paul VI\u2019s reflection at the end of the 1975 Jubilee, saying its core message can be summed up in a single word: \u201clove.\u201d He then repeated Paul VI\u2019s emphatic profession of faith, including: \u201cGod is love! \u2026 God is mercy! God is forgiveness! \u2026 God, yes, God is life!\u201d<\/p>\n
This story was\u00a0first published\u00a0by ACI Stampa, CNA\u2019s Italian-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.<\/p>\n