As pilgrims and representatives of the African continent celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV makes a surprise visit and invites everyone to live our faith as a sign of hope in our world.
By Devin Watkins
VATICAN CITY — Mass was celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday afternoon for Ambassadors of African nations who are accredited to the Holy See, along with several people taking part in the Jubilee pilgrimage.
At the end of the Mass, which came a day after the 62nd Africa Day, Pope Leo XIV made an unannounced appearance to greet the delegations and offer his encouragement.
In his off-the-cuff remarks, spoken in English, the Pope said the 2025 Holy Year “inspires us all and invites us all to look for hope, but also to be signs of hope.”
“How important it is that each and every baptized person feel himself or herself called by God to be a sign of hope in the world today,” added the Pope.
Faith gives Christians strength, he continued, noting that our faith enables us “to see the light of Jesus Christ in our lives and to understand how important it is to live our faith, not only on Sundays, not only during a pilgrimage, but each and every day”.
Pope Leo said faith allows us to be “filled with the hope that only Jesus Christ can give us.”
He expressed his hopes that “all of us together will continue to walk united as brothers and sisters to praise our God, to recognize that everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God, and to place those gifts at the service of others.”
The Pope then thanked the Ambassadors and pilgrims for living their own faith in Jesus Christ.
He said the group was “well accompanied” by Cardinal Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences; Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect Emeritus of the (then-) Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; and Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV invited everyone to join his prayer for the group: “Thank you, Lord Jesus, and may your name be praised.”
