The Pope chose to address this new crisis in his closing remarks following the Angelus prayer—the first he has led in Rome again after his summer break at Castel Gandolfo.
The pontiff stated that he is following “with concern the alarming situation in Ceuta, praying to God, through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, that solutions promoting peace, stability, and justice may be found.”.
In his commentary on the Gospel, the Pope wished to emphasize that the signs of Jesus, which we read about in the Gospel, “reveal his special self-giving for us—that is, the salvation He brings to the world. The Lord presents Himself as the One who gives meaning to life, freeing it from evil and sin.”.
León XIV explained that when Christ heals the deaf and the blind, “He reveals the magnificent work of redemption that is accomplished in Him” and that by miraculously feeding the multitudes—and even through food—“He demonstrates that the Lord’s gift is universal, and that His Providence toward us never fails.”.
The Pope has stated that “hoarding and discarding, on the other hand, are two sides of the same evil: greed. This disease of the soul causes one to lose one’s senses because it intoxicates with riches, to the point of forgetting those who weep from hunger and cry out from thirst.”.
This is an all-too-common oversight in our society, and the pontiff has urged us to “as we savor the grace of the Eucharist, commit ourselves to bearing witness to its beauty in our daily actions, beginning with the blessing of the table, when we share bread with family and friends. In the company of Jesus, even vacations can become a time of serene fellowship, including those who are by our side and in need.”.
At the conclusion of the Marian prayer, Leo XIV referred—along with the prayer for Ceuta—to the need to continue praying for peace, “so that wars may cease throughout the world and diplomatic solutions may be found to conflicts,” and he sought to once again place the focus on the greatest victims of these situations: “the weakest and most defenseless: children, the elderly, and the sick.”.
