St. Paul Catholic Church, Richmond, VA

(ROME) CNS -- If Bishop Robert Paul Boxie was selected to become a bishop just because he is Black, he said he is comfortable with that.

"Some people may believe I've been selected, picked, because I'm Black," he said in an interview with Catholic News Service's 'Vatican Access.' "I've thought about this, I’ve reflected on it, and you know what, I'm actually okay with that."

One of the newest bishops Pope Leo XIV appointed in the U.S. said racism remains an undercurrent in the Catholic Church, recounting his own encounters with it in the seminary and calling for greater Black representation in the hierarchy, parish life and the church's understanding of holiness.

Bishop Boxie, who was named auxiliary bishop of Washington, said some critics have labeled him a "DEI bishop," a phrase he dismissed as a "dog whistle" suggesting that a Black person was elevated as part of a diversity, equity and inclusion program at the expense of someone more qualified.

He said his education, formation and ministry should speak for themselves. But while there are many good bishops in the United States, Bishop Boxie said he does not believe the hierarchy has always been sufficiently attentive to the concerns of Black Catholics and the broader Black community.

Black Americans make up more than 15% of the U.S. population, according to the Census Bureau, and Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate determined that 5% of Catholics identify as Black. 

Yet, only five of 268 active U.S. bishops are Black, only two of whom are African American, according to data from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"We need the voice of African American bishops, men in the hierarchy, in the church structure, to be more of an advocate for the Black Catholic community," Bishop Boxie said in the Sept. 7 interview.

Before his ordination in July, Bishop Boxie said a decade had passed since an African American bishop had been ordained in the country.

"Why are there so few?" he said. "The short answer is racism."

Born in 1980, America's youngest bishop was called to the priesthood after graduating from Vanderbilt University and Harvard Law School and working as an attorney in Washington. Even before entering seminary, Bishop Boxie said he carried a strong sense of responsibility as a Black man moving through spaces where few others looked like him.

Oftentimes, as an African American in institutions like prestigious schools, "where you are one of one or one of two or very few of you, you do carry that responsibility of making sure that you do a good job," he said. "I carry with me all of my ancestors beforehand who were denied these opportunities."

Their sacrifices, the Louisiana native said, made his own opportunities possible and left him with "a duty and a responsibility to continue to give back, to make a way for others."

"It is in the background of knowing where I have come from, what I have been given, and also realizing that I have to give back and help make a way for others, just as others have done for me," Bishop Boxie said.

The Church has always proclaimed the need to protect and promote the inherent dignity of the human person, the bishop said, but Catholics have not always been faithful to that teaching.

"When we have turned away from that, or when we have been unfaithful to that teaching and gone astray, then that's when problems such as this, racism, have arisen," he said.

Bishop Boxie also shared with CNS his own experiences of racism, saying rejection and exclusion have "sadly" been part of the Black Catholic experience.

He recalled arriving at seminary and discovering that the seminarian in the room next to his had hung a Confederate flag on the wall. Bishop Boxie said he was "totally taken aback" and refused to enter the room while the flag remained there, even though he was "very social" and others frequented his room. 

He repeatedly spoke with his neighbor in the hallway and challenged him about it, saying to the seminarian and his friends that it was "inappropriate." The seminarian eventually removed the flag and later left the seminary after discerning he no longer wanted to pursue the priesthood.

Years later, during the summer of 2020 and the national reckoning that followed the killing of George Floyd, Bishop Boxie received an unexpected Facebook message from the former seminarian.

By then, the man was working at a Catholic school with many Black and Hispanic students. He told Bishop Boxie that he had come to understand how wrong it had been to display the Confederate flag, particularly in a seminary.

"He wanted to have a conversation, to apologize," the bishop said. "I accepted his apology, and we had a real, honest conversation about race, the Church, and how we can be healers, how we can help bridge these gaps, these disparities, the misunderstanding, all the things that pull us apart, how we can in fact be healers and bridge-builders in the Church."

The Catholic Church in the United States has its own history of involvement with slavery and racial discrimination.

In 1838, Jesuit leaders sold 272 enslaved men, women and children to raise money for Georgetown University, which was then struggling financially. The sale became the subject of renewed public scrutiny after reporting by The New York Times in 2016.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said the racism he encountered while studying at Conception Seminary College in Missouri contributed to his decision to leave. Thomas has recalled hearing a fellow seminarian respond to the 1968 shooting of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by saying, "Good -- I hope the S.O.B. dies."

At an appearance at The Catholic University of America last year, Thomas said that if Catholic leaders at the time had taken a stronger stand against racism, he might have become a priest.

More recent disputes over police brutality and systemic racism have also exposed divisions among U.S. Catholics.

In 2020, EWTN canceled its radio show "Morning Glory" months after co-host Gloria Purvis began speaking extensively about police brutality and systemic racism following Floyd's death and the protests that followed.

Purvis, who is Black, told CNS after the cancellation that Catholics should be turning to their faith when confronting such questions.

"We all are members of the human family. We all have a certain dignity," she said in January 2021. "When you see such brutalization of a human person and the murder of a human person … it should bring questions to us. We should be turning to our faith for answers rather than just letting political talk frame the conversation."

She said she was surprised to hear Catholics dismiss concern about Floyd's death after learning details about his life.

"That is not who we are as believers," Purvis said.

Purvis told CNS in May 2021 that she had no regrets talking about race during her EWTN tenure, which was largely suspected to be the reason for her show's cancellation. 

In the months and years after Floyd's death, Purvis, who is now a special advisor for Integral Human Development and Dignity at Providence College, told OSV News in May 2025 that priests have preached "ahistorical homilies about lynching, about saying that Black people needed to be grateful to white people that lost their lives during the Civil War."

Polling over the last several years has found a pronounced divide between white Catholics and other Americans in how they understand racial inequality.

In a 2018 Public Religion Research Institute survey, 53% of Americans said police killings of Black men were part of a broader pattern in how law enforcement treats Black Americans. Among white Catholics, just 37% held that view.

A similar divide appeared in a 2022 PRRI survey about the lasting effects of slavery and racial discrimination. Just 35% of white Catholics agreed that those historical injustices continue to make it harder for Black Americans to achieve economic mobility. By comparison, 66% of religiously unaffiliated Americans, 68% of Americans belonging to non-Christian religions and 77% of Black Protestants agreed.

Bishop Boxie said he does not know why some racial tensions within the Church have gone unaddressed for so long, but said he looks to the Holy Spirit and expressed gratitude for Pope Leo's apology in his recent encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" for the church’s historical involvement in slavery.

"It was really earth-shattering," he said. "This is the first time in what, 18 centuries, 19 centuries, that this acknowledgement has been made."

Pope Leo's own heritage depicts the racial tension of American history. He told reporters in July about his familial ties to U.S. slavery when he said his ancestors included both enslaved people and slave owners on his mother's side.

Bishop Boxie said Black Catholics themselves can also do more to address what he called "the elephant in the room," including inconsistencies between politics, government, racism and Catholic social teaching.

He also wants Catholic churches to more visibly reflect the racial diversity of the communion of saints.

"In our churches, we often only see white saints, and I have no problem with that. There's nothing wrong with that," he said. "But that's not the only view or the only image or icon of holiness that we can aspire to."

Bishop Boxie said every U.S. parish should display images of Black saints, particularly the seven Black Catholics being considered for canonization, as a reminder that their witness belongs to the entire church and "because these were Americans who were raised and formed in this country," and whose lives were marked by racism, exclusion and discrimination.

Their example can encourage Black Catholics "to persevere, to not give up, to stay in the church and to help reform it," while reminding white Catholics that "they're part of our Church. They are us."

Conflict and confrontation are not his style, Bishop Boxie said. He is more interested in dialogue and in helping white Catholics recognize that Black Catholics are part of the church, have something distinctive to contribute to its life and worship, and that "you don't have to be afraid of us." 

Following the pope's apology for the Church's involvement in slavery in his encyclical, Bishop Boxie said Pope Leo has given the Church and the world a moment to "tackle it, to talk about it, to not shy away from it."

"He's equaling the playing field for us to take the ball and to move it forward, not only in the Church, but also in our nation, because the terrible things that happened in our country spilled over, unfortunately, into practices in the church as well," he said. "And I think this is really an opportunity for us as Catholics, to lead the way, really for us to lead the way."

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To watch the full interview, click the link below: 

Why So Few Black Catholic Bishops in America?

Bishop Robert Boxie is an auxiliary bishop of Washington and the youngest bishop in the United States. A former lawyer educated at Vanderbilt University and Harvard Law School, he brings both professional experience and a deeply rooted Black Catholic...

WASHINGTON - “As conflicts intensify around the world, let us renew our commitment to be Christ’s instruments of peace in an increasingly fractured and divided world,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a statement marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 

Archbishop Coakley’s statement follows:  

“As we prayerfully remember the tragedy of September 11, 2001, I invite all Catholics to join me in prayer for the victims taken from us in acts of unjustifiable violence 25 years ago at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in rural Pennsylvania. In a special way, we lovingly embrace in prayer the victims’ families and friends, who still mourn the irretrievable loss of their loved ones on that day. We also remember the first responders and emergency workers, so many who gave their lives in selfless acts of courage. 

“Amid that terrible day and the dark hours of fear and uncertainty that followed, we must also remember that our faith lifted us up and sustained us. As a nation, we found ourselves turning to God in prayer and looking to our faith with a new intensity and a sense of unity. 

“As conflicts intensify around the world, let us renew our commitment to be Christ’s instruments of peace in an increasingly fractured and divided world. The building of peace in our country and around the world -- a mission that enables us to be called children of God¹ -- is the great challenge of our time. Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, tells us that peace is more than just a goal, it is a presence and a journey.² He says that even in places where only rubble remains, and despair seems inevitable, we still find people who have not forgotten peace.

“As we pray for our nation’s continued healing, for the souls of all those lost on that day and the comfort of their families, let us implore the Holy Spirit to conform us, increasingly, into the image of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and together build a civilization of love and universal fraternity.”

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1. Matthew 5
2. Message of the Holy Father for the 59th World Day of Peace 2026

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians can help overcome the many distortions and lies about the true dignity of every human person and, in doing so, promote and defend human life, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Created in God's image, through Christ and for His sake, we have received a unique and indelible dignity. Let us commit ourselves to promoting and defending it always, with the light and strength of the Gospel," he said during his weekly general audience talk in St. Peter's Square Sept. 9.

"This dignity is entrusted to the responsibility of each person: at the same time, it also demands solidarity and mutual care, overcoming the many falsifications and manipulations that still disfigure our perception of it and hinder its realization," he said, continuing his series of talks on documents from the Second Vatican Council.

The first chapter of the conciliar constitution, "Gaudium et Spes," underlined that the foundation and condition for the world's most cherished values are rooted in the inherent and indelible dignity of the human person, Pope Leo said. 

However, throughout history, choices have been made "that have run counter to this dignity" and "all of human life, whether individual or collective, shows itself to be a dramatic struggle between good and evil."

"It is sin, above all, that disfigures God's image in the human being," the pope said in his summary to Portuguese speakers.

For example, when the body is reduced to being "an object" that can be "disposed of arbitrarily," that is "always a denial of the dignity of the person," he said in his main catechesis.

Only by recognizing that the human being is both body and soul together and that human dignity has a divine source can humanity "avoid possible distortions" and "address the contradictions, both old and new," he said.

The Catholic Church teaches that human dignity never depends on "a person's abilities, wealth or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made; instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of His unfailing love," he said, quoting from his recent encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas."

The infinite dignity of the human being flows from being a child of God, created in His image and likeness, Pope Leo added. 

The human person is made for relationship, communion and participation, the pope said, not isolation. Humanity is called to cultivate a "filial relationship with God the Father and a fraternal relationship with Christ and with all humankind."

"To be a person means to perceive oneself as a gift to be shared, growing and maturing through acceptance, reciprocity and service," he said.

Each person, he said, is "endowed with the gifts of intelligence, for seeking truth; conscience, for recognizing our ultimate calling; and freedom, for choosing the good."

"The Holy Spirit, who gives life in Christ, makes us free and constantly assures us of our dignity as children of God, delivering us from fear and guiding us towards the ultimate goal, that life in  its fullness beyond death which Christ has promised us," he said.

"May we therefore help each other to guard and defend our God-given dignity and journey together toward our heavenly homeland," Pope Leo said in his English summary.

WASHINGTON – A delegation of bishops representing the episcopal conferences of Mexico, Canada, and the United States met this week with a spirit of fraternity, prayer and dialogue. Bishop Daniel E. Flores, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Bishop Oscar Cantú, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee for Latin American Affairs were in attendance as delegates. 

The joint communique released after their meeting stated, “During these days, the social, political, economic and ecclesial realities of their respective countries were shared, and some of the main issues that today challenge the Church in the region of North America were addressed: in a particular way, human mobility and the question of migration, the dignity of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, evangelization, and the possibilities of pastoral collaboration among the Churches in Mexico, in the United States and in Canada.”

Read the full communique available in English, Spanish, and French.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV began the five-week Season of Creation by calling on the faithful to step away from the frenzy of daily life to "hear the melodious voice of creation," stressing that "it is not yet too late" to repair humanity's relationship with the environment.

Celebrating Mass on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in the gardens of the papal villa and the Borgo Laudato Si' ecology project in Castel Gandolfo, Sept. 1, the pope said contemplating creation and its Creator should lead people to recognize their responsibility for protecting it.

"Thus, as we become conscious of our shortcomings and failures, we can renew our commitment to restoring the relationships among all creatures according to the will of their Creator," he said.

The theme chosen for the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation echoes the biblical call to "beat swords into plowshares" and connects armed conflict with environmental destruction.

In a June 2 statement, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said that "the now widespread awareness of the impact of war on natural resources has not led to the creation of adequate institutions or to responsible decisions aimed at preventing conflicts and resolving disputes peacefully."

In his homily during the Mass, Pope Leo said the call to transform weapons into instruments that sustain life remains urgent.

"What has been used for destruction can be redirected toward life, toward the care of the poor, the nourishment of the hungry, and the safeguarding of creation," he said, quoting his message for the day.

Militaries account for about 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to water pollution, soil contamination and waste generation, according to a joint study by the UK-based Scientists for Global Responsibility and the Conflict and Environment Observatory. The World Wide Fund for Nature estimated that the first three years of the Russia-Ukraine war alone generated the equivalent of about 230 million metric tons of carbon dioxide -- a greenhouse gas that traps heat from sunlight, warming the planet.

Pope Leo also focused on access to clean water in his September prayer intention, released Sept. 1 by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network.

Thanking God for the gift of water, the pope prayed for the "right of every brother and sister to drink without fear and without inequality."

"Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children," he prayed. "We see with pain so many brothers and sisters who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity."

During the Mass, Pope Leo said passages from the Book of Wisdom and Psalm 18 encourage Christians to recognize God through the "beauty and power of creation."

"All creation speaks to us of the greatness of its Creator, if only our eyes and hearts remain open to such a great mystery," he said.

By looking with wonder at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, the pope said, Christians can better understand the greatness of God's love for humanity.

"If the Lord does not fail to bestow such splendid beauty upon plants and animals and provide for all their needs, how much more attentive will he be to the needs of his beloved sons and daughters," he said.

The Season of Creation runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The Catholic Church's observance of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation was established by Pope Francis in response to an initiative of Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The Orthodox Church has observed Sept. 1 as a day of prayer for creation since 1989.

The 2026 season will conclude as the Church marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecology.

Pope Leo closed his homily by reciting portions of St. Francis' Canticle of the Creatures:

"Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun… Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind... Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water… Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire… Praised be you, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The faithful are called to leave behind "all passivity and indifference" toward current events and the lives of others, especially amid the "rapid and profound changes we are experiencing today," Pope Leo XIV said at his weekly general audience.

"We cannot remain as unengaged spectators; rather, we must listen with our hearts, allow ourselves to be challenged, and become involved," the pope said Sept. 2 in St. Peter’s Square.

"With Christ and sustained by the power of His Spirit, believers are called to take on the burdens of their brothers and sisters, especially those who are crushed by injustice, discrimination and violence," he said.

Pope Leo began a new series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council's pastoral constitution "Gaudium et Spes," which examines the relationship between the Church and the modern world.

Recalling St. John XXIII's warning against the "prophets of doom," who regarded their own times as worse than the past, Pope Leo said Christians are instead called to share in the life of humanity as Christ did.

Such closeness to humanity, the pope said, also opens the way to a deeper understanding of events and of Revelation itself.

"This is not, in fact, merely a moral imperative," he said.

Addressing English-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo said it is the Church's pastoral responsibility to engage with the contemporary world, share in its joys and sorrows and advocate for the poor and marginalized.

The Church, he said, also must remain "attentive to the signs of the times," confronting "pressing issues such as the technological progress that benefits only some and the persistence of widespread poverty."

His remarks came months after the publication of his first encyclical, "Magnifica Humanitas," which detailed his account of the global implications of artificial intelligence and warned against allowing technological development to proceed without prioritizing human dignity.

"In our own day, marked by profound change and much injustice, each of us, then, is called to play our part in welcoming and listening to the deepest questions and longings of the human heart, making present to all the merciful love of Christ our Savior," the pope told English speakers.

During a period of profound change that is producing "worrying imbalances," Pope Leo said the Church is called to serve the human person by listening to "the deepest questions of their heart and the longings that dwell within them."

The Church must point people toward Christ, he said, as "the key, the focal point and the goal of all human history."

WASHINGTON – This Labor Day, “let us foster an economy that values the God given dignity of each person,” said Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, in a statement released ahead of Labor Day (Sept. 7).

Echoing Pope Leo XIV in Magnifica humanitas, Archbishop Fabre offers the Catholic Church’s fundamental commitment to sacred human dignity as a hopeful vision amidst a challenging economy, further threatened by artificial intelligence which is already impacting the job market. We must build a just economy for all and “listen to the experiences of workers, families, young people and communities of color as they struggle to find stability,” he says. He offers encouragement saying, “As new technology reshapes our economy and our work, let us be ‘builders of communion,’ ensuring that innovation and development is for the benefit of all, not just a few, and that each person can contribute to the Kingdom of God through their work.”

The full Labor Day statement is available here (and in Spanish).

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CASTEL GANDOLFO (CNS) -- Whatever the injustice or injury, do not revert to hatred or violence, Pope Leo XIV told the faithful, because only love, hope, forgiveness and respect will protect and promote human dignity.

"We are in such need of life, hope, serenity and peace -- within ourselves, in our cities and among people and nations. For this reason, whatever the wound, whatever the offense, let us not allow evil to disfigure our humanity or corrupt our hearts!" he said in his homily at a Mass Aug. 29, marking the feast of Our Lady of the Lake in the town of Castel Gandolfo.

"Let us not conform to the mindset of this world" and not get discouraged, he said. "Let us continue to love, to give and to forgive, offering ourselves 'as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God,' so that we may preserve and nurture -- in ourselves and in others -- the infinite dignity of the divine image we bear in our souls." 

Pope Leo was the third pope after Sts. Paul VI and John Paul II to mark the Aug. 29 feast day in Castel Gandolfo, which overlooks Lake Albano, and take part in the Mariano procession from the Church of Maria Santissima del Lago, where the Mass was celebrated, to the volcanic lake.

Surrounded by yellow and white flowers on a small platform, a statue of Our Lady of the Lake was carried through the streets to the lake where more than a dozen boats -- including kayaks and jet skis -- awaited.

Pope Leo, however, was the first pope to get on the main boat for a ride along the lake, symbolizing the Barque of Peter and highlighting the Gospel call to go out into the deep and hold fast to Christ under Mary's maternal gaze, especially while navigating troubled or uncertain waters.

The boat, adorned with flowers, the Marian statue and the Vatican flag, slowly made its way in the setting sun and flickering lights to another beach where Pope Leo blessed the small crowd and those whose livelihoods depend on the lake. 

When the early disciples were frightened by the terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus assured them to "have faith and pray, so that they might find peace again and, together with him, continue sailing toward their desired destination," the pope had said earlier in his homily at Mass.

Jesus reveals "that only love saves. The love that God showed us by becoming man, dying and rising again for us," Pope Leo had said.

Those who wish to follow Christ must also respond with love, he said, and "humbly offer ourselves to Him and to our brothers and sisters: in the faithful constancy of daily charity as well as in the most extraordinary acts, even to the point of martyrdom at times -- as, unfortunately, still happens today to many Christians in various parts of the world."

"With God's help, we want to sow the seeds of his infinite charity everywhere in the world, tirelessly and without limit, so that today and always someone may rejoice in reaping their fruits," the pope said.

Unfortunately, he said, not everyone understands the beauty, goodness and practicality of this dream of the Creator; in fact, many think it is a utopia." 

The naysayers insist that "turning the other cheek is for losers; giving in the face of rejection is for the naive; forgiving without limits is for the weak," he said.

"Let us not delude ourselves. Hatred and violence bring nothing good, but only destruction and death, always, even when they are a response to injustices suffered," Pope Leo said. "Only the way of love is the way of life."

"Let us, then, draw close this evening to Jesus and Mary, to the Son and the Mother, so that, united, not only on the lake but on every night throughout the world, we may be a soothing reflection of God's presence and an irresistible echo of his love that invites us to love," he said in his homily.

WASHINGTON – “I exhort the international community to mobilize greater humanitarian assistance support for vulnerable families and communities in Nepal,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, commenting on the deadly flashfloods in Nepal.  

Bishop Zaidan’s statement follows: 

“As we learn more about the devastating flashfloods in Nepal, I offer the prayers and solidarity of the Catholic community in the United States for our brothers and sisters impacted by this disaster. I exhort the international community to mobilize greater humanitarian assistance support for vulnerable families and communities in Nepal. I also encourage long-term efforts to help affected communities rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure. 

“Catholic Relief Services, the international relief agency of the Church in the United States, is closely monitoring the emergency, and coordinating with Caritas Nepal and local partners to assess urgent needs and determine how best to support affected communities. We appreciate the partnership of the U.S. government in supporting CRS’ essential work in these communities. We are also grateful to hear that the U.S. Department of State is closely monitoring the situation and deploying key personnel to support response efforts. 

“May the Immaculate Heart of Mary provide consolation and shelter to all those affected by this disaster, and may she inspire the international community to work together, as one family, to address the urgent needs of the Nepalese people.”   

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- "Firmly rooted" in the Church's living tradition, the liturgical reform put forth by the Second Vatican Council grew from the need for the faithful to celebrate the liturgy more "consciously and actively," and not "as strangers and silent spectators," Pope Leo XIV said.

"The faithful 'cannot and must no longer remain silent and passive. Their physical presence cannot be reconciled with their spiritual absence,'" he said, quoting Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini of Milan, the future Pope Paul VI and saint, who was attending the council's first session at the time in 1962.

The Council Fathers expressed "a renewed awareness of the value of the liturgy," Pope Leo said during his general audience talk in St. Peter's Basilica Aug. 26, which focused on the constitution on the sacred liturgy, "Sacrosanctum Concilium," and why the council sought to promote the liturgy's reform. 

It was the pope's final catechesis dedicated to the council's first constitution after beginning his new series of talks on the documents of the Second Vatican Council Jan. 7, so people would be motivated to reread and reflect on them rather than base their understanding of the texts on "hearsay" and the interpretations of others, he had said.

While the liturgical reform promoted by the council is "firmly rooted in the living tradition of the Church," Pope Leo said, the reform must also be properly understood.

"A correct understanding of it also enables us to reject the abuses that occurred in certain sectors of the Church during the post-conciliar period, and which, unfortunately, still occur from time to time today, where some of the principles underlying the reform itself have been taken to extremes or misunderstood," he said.

During the liturgy, "the memorial of the work of salvation is celebrated," and the Church's ritual actions also provide an opportunity "to experience a true relationship with God, coming into contact with the salvific event," the pope said. "Since the gestures and words of the sacred liturgy are critical to realizing this experience, the participation of the faithful cannot be passive."

The council's reform put "at the center that which constitutes the heart of the ecclesial experience," he said. Therefore, the intention was "to allow the liturgy to shine forth as 'the primary source of that divine exchange in which the life of God is communicated to us.'"

Because of the importance of language, teaching and "intelligibility," there was "the need to make the richness of the biblical texts and prayers more accessible to all the faithful, and to streamline the order of the celebration compared with that set out in the liturgical books then in use," he said. 

The liturgy is "a living entity," he said, and it has always been subject to developments and changes over the centuries. 

Therefore, it is "not surprising that the Second Vatican Council, too, with the utmost respect for the heritage of tradition, and precisely in order to make it more accessible, considered it necessary to revise the liturgical books," Pope Leo said.

Quoting the conciliar constitution, he said, "the liturgy is made up of immutable elements divinely instituted, and of elements subject to change. These not only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time if they have suffered from the intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner nature of the liturgy or have become unsuited to it."

Texts and rites should thereby be "drawn up so that they express more clearly the holy things which they signify; the Christian people, so far as possible, should be enabled to understand them with ease and to take part in them fully, actively, and as befits a community," he said, citing the constitution.

"In this way, the Christian people learn to recognize sacred realities, offer themselves with and through the hands of the priest, and become more open to receiving God's grace," he said in his summary to English speakers.

In his main catechesis in Italian, he said it is still the primary responsibility of bishops and priests "to safeguard and promote a liturgy which, while respecting liturgical norms, shines with noble simplicity and thus manifests the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church."

As the council teaches, "Liturgical services are not private functions," but are celebrations that pertain to the whole body of the Church, "which is the 'sacrament of unity,' namely, the holy people united and ordered under their bishops," he said, quoting from the constitution.

"At every celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, let us ask for God's help to be strengthened on our journey and to enter into a deeper relationship with the Lord," he said in his English summary.