Pope Leo’s homily at mid-morning prayer meeting
Cathedral Basilica of St John the Apostle and Evangelist (Lima)
Thursday, 12 November 2026
(1John 23-24 This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.
Pope Leo’s Homily.
Dear brothers and sisters
It is a great joy for me once again to be on Peruvian soil, close to this Church that is so dear to me.
I come as a father a brother in the faith, and a shepherd who loves his flock.
Many years ago, I first came to Peru, sent to serve the people of God, build up his kingdom, and promote peace through justice, particularly for the most vulnerable.
Today, I return to encourage you to continue spreading the Gospel while paying attention to people’s lives and needs.
With this in mind, I would like us to reflect together on certain attitudes important for being the Church and building a civilization of love grounded in the common good.
The brief reading we just heard from the First Letter of Saint John will guide our reflection (cf. 1 John 3:23-24).
The first guide it offers an invitation to believe “in the name of his Son Jesus Christ”.
In other words we are called to look to him as the foundation on which to build our temple of living stones (cf. Eph 2:19-22).
Christ is the light, the word, and the bread, and the church grows wherever people are united through communion with him.
The lives of countless saints, such as Bishop Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, confirm this. He was a tireless, enterprising, and creative apostle; a courageous defender of the poor; and a generous shepherd, ready to pour himself out for his flock.
However, if we wish to reach the source of his energy and enthusiasm, we must look to his intimate relationship with the Lord.
By following Christ even to the cross, Turibius found the meaning, guiding principle, and strength of his entire mission.
We too must find inspiration in this to serve the community and learn to read our history in light of the Paschal Mystery.
By contemplating the crucified and risen Lord of Miracles, we will find a sure guide for our journey in the “signs” of his goodness
The second guide I would like to recall is reconciliation.
In his letter, John states that God wills us to “love one another, just as he commanded us” (1 Jn 3:23). Peru greatly needs this.
The country needs a church that sows love and builds bridges where others raise walls. It needs a church that listens, heals, and forgives.
At the same time, it needs a church that acknowledges its infidelities, humbly asks forgiveness, and accepts responsibility for the wounds it has caused within and around the community.
Peru needs a church that clings to the cross and knows how to face conflicts with charity and courage. It must be confident that, in Christ, it is always possible to begin again and find unity.As Saint Paul says, “This is not our work alone, but ‘is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation'” (2 Cor 5:18).Only in this way will we be true peacemakers, an expression especially dear to Pope Francis.
The third guide on which I would like to reflect is “a peace that is unarmed & disarming”. You have often heard me speak of the need to promote throughout the world “a peace that is unarmed and disarming”.
There is a genuine and urgent need to which we must respond by cultivating the values of dialogue and fraternity in every circumstance, day after day, while avoiding every form of polarization that causes division.
Peace always begins “here and now” and depends on how we behave, how we look at one another, how we respect one another, and how we listen to one another.
If we wish to spread peace, we must first safeguard and nurture it before God, within ourselves, and among our loved ones.
Then, we must spread it in our communities and in the various spheres of social and political life.
In this way, we will become authentic builders of the communion that the family of the baptized is called to embody.
We will become more and more “a sign and instrument… of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race” in Christ.
For Christians, unity is an essential aspect of existence that cannot be relinquished, and requires continual personal and communal conversion of the heart.
Baptism makes us members of the one Body of Christ through grace, but it is up to us to accept or reject the gift we have been given each day in the dignity of our freedom.
At the Last Supper, Jesus expressed the Father’s desire: “That they may all be one … so that the world may believe” (John 17:21).
The question, then, is how we can act to make our unity visible, using every appropriate means and turning our differences and wounds into opportunities to grow together in mutual esteem and forgiveness.
Communion is neither complete homogeneity nor immediate consensus. Rather, it is a space in which, with the help of the Spirit and under the guidance of pastors, different voices learn to blend without being drowned out, thereby creating harmony.
This requires us to listen openly, even to things that do not align with our own perceptions, to welcome another person’s pain without judging it
and to allow ourselves to be touched by that person’s story.
In this way, only can a sense of co-responsibility take shape in our communities, making each of us a prophet of the Good News.
And this brings us to the final guide of our reflection: mission.
“The Church… is by its very nature missionary”.
By its very constitution, the Church impels us to proclaim the love of God hat it has received and believes in.
(1 John 4:16 – we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him).
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters,
I urge you to keep the flame of this love alive.
Each of you has a different vocation, and you must bear credible and joyful witness according to your calling.
– Bishops, recognize the voice of God speaking through the life of the flock. Listen to priests and remain close to them.
– Priests, cultivate an intense love for Christ. Be faithful and obedient to the Church. Accompany the brothers and sisters entrusted to your care.
– Consecrated men and women, renew your “yes” daily. Live a truly evangelical life. Ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to be “born from above” (Jn 3:3).
– Seminarians, cultivate the beauty and freshness of your calling. Keep your relationship with Jesus alive. Care for your interior life.
– Finally, I ask you, the lay members of the pastoral councils and synodal teams, to remain committed to the work you have begun.
The Church needs you and your contributions.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Let us unite today and always in the great symphony of communion, conducted by Christ.
As we advance together with hearts united and open to grace, let us sing of the Father’s love and remain faithful to the commandment we have received: “that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another” (1 John 3:23).
May this be so through the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary, our mother.