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Pope Leo XIV delivered a homily on June 1, 2025, during a Mass in St. Peter’s Square that marked the conclusion of the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly. In his address, he reflected on Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper as described in the Gospel.
"The Gospel we have just heard shows us Jesus, at the Last Supper, praying on our behalf," Pope Leo XIV stated. He emphasized that Christ's prayer for unity among people is a gift rooted in divine love: "He wants us to be one."
The Pope underscored God's infinite love for humanity by saying, "Jesus is telling us that God loves us as he loves himself." He highlighted the importance of relationships in human life: "All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship, a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care."
Addressing contemporary challenges to family values, Pope Leo XIV remarked that despite betrayals of human kindness, "Jesus continues to pray to the Father for us." He called families "the cradle of humanity’s future" and cited examples of married couples who have been beatified or canonized together.
Pope Leo XIV encouraged married couples to embody true love and integrity: "Marriage is not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman." He urged children to express gratitude towards their parents and advised grandparents to guide their families with wisdom.
"In family, faith is handed on together with life," he concluded. The homily ended with a reflection on eternal unity through Christ: "One day we will all be uno unum."
During this event at the Vatican, priests distributed Communion as part of the celebration.
