Pope Leo XIV declared marriage is “not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman” and families are “the cradle of the future of humanity” as he celebrated Mass for thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly on Sunday.
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Speaking to families from nearly 120 countries on a sunny morning in Rome, the pontiff emphasized the fundamental role of family relationships in God’s plan for salvation, drawing from the Gospel reading of Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper.
“Dear friends, we received life before we ever desired it,” Pope Leo XIV said in his homily on June 1. “As soon as we were born, we needed others in order to live; left to ourselves, we would not have survived. Someone else saved us by caring for us in body and spirit. All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship, a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care.”
The Holy Father made an extended tour of the square in the popemobile before Mass, blessing children and greeting the crowds of families who had traveled to Rome for this major event of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.
Marriage as measure of true love
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that marriage represents “not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman: a love that is total, faithful, and fruitful.” He cited Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, noting that conjugal love “makes you one flesh and enables you, in the image of God, to bestow the gift of life.”
The pope highlighted several married couples as exemplars for today’s world, including Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. He also remembered the Polish Ulma family, “parents and children, united in love and martyrdom” during World War II.
“By pointing to them as exemplary witnesses of married life, the Church tells us that today’s world needs the marriage covenant in order to know and accept God’s love and to defeat, thanks to its unifying and reconciling power, the forces that break down relationships and societies,” the pontiff said.
Practical counsel for families
Pope Leo XIV offered specific guidance to different generations present at the celebration. To parents, he recommended being “examples of integrity to your children, acting as you want them to act, educating them in freedom through obedience, always seeing the good in them and finding ways to nurture it.”
Children received counsel to “show gratitude to your parents,” with the pope noting that saying “thank you” each day “is the first way to honor your father and your mother.”
To grandparents and elderly people, he recommended watching “over your loved ones with wisdom and compassion, and with the humility and patience that come with age.”
The Holy Father emphasized the family’s role in transmitting faith, declaring that “in the family, faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation. It is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts.”
Prayer for peace amid global conflicts
Following the Mass, Pope Leo XIV led the Regina Coeli prayer, using the occasion to remember families suffering from war.
“May the Virgin Mary bless families and sustain them in their difficulties. I think especially of those who suffer because of war in the Middle East, in Ukraine, and in other parts of the world,” he said.
The pontiff also commemorated the beatification of Blessed Cristofora Klomfass and 14 companion religious sisters of the Congregation of St. Catherine Virgin and Martyr, who were killed by Soviet soldiers in 1945 in territories of present-day Poland.
“Despite the climate of hatred and terror against the Catholic faith, they continued to serve the sick and orphans,” he noted.
During his remarks, Pope Leo XIV expressed particular joy at welcoming so many children to today’s celebration, calling them sources of renewed hope. He praised grandparents and elderly people as “genuine models of faith and inspiration for young generations.”
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This story was last updated Sunday, June 1, 2025, with corrected details and link for Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin.
This article was originally published by CNA.
