Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for the recitation of the Regina Caeli on May 3, 2026. | @Vatican Media
At the Regina Caeli prayer for the fifth Sunday of Easter, Pope Leo said that Jesus’ words to us take on new meaning in the light of the Resurrection, much as they did for the early Church. “What once eluded or troubled the disciples now returns to their memory, warms their hearts, and gives them hope”, the Pope said.
Reflecting on the Gospel of the Last Supper in light of the Resurrection, Pope Leo highlighted Christ’s promise, which draws us into the great mystery of victory over death: “I go to prepare a place for you, and I will come back and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be” (Jn 14:3).
A new logic of fraternity
The Pope contrasted the logic of the old world—marked by exclusion and competition—with that of the Kingdom of God: “In the old world in which we are still journeying, what attracts attention are exclusive places (…). In the new world into which the risen One leads us, however, what is most valuable is within everyone’s reach.”
This is a vision according to which every person is recognised in their uniqueness: “no one is confused with another, no one is lost.”
“Death threatens to erase one’s name and memory, but in God everyone is fully themselves. Truly, this is what we spend our whole lives searching for, sometimes willing to do anything just to get a little attention and recognition.”
The crowd gathered in St Peter’s Square for the Regina Caeli (@VATICAN MEDIA)
Faith and freedom
The Pope then urged his listeners to trust in Christ: “Do not let your hearts be troubled… believe in God, believe also in me” (Jn 14:1).
Faith of this kind, he explained, “frees our hearts from the anxiety of having and achieving, from the illusion of chasing a prestigious place in order to have value.” Human dignity does not depend on social recognition: “each person already has infinite worth in the mystery of God, which is the only true reality.”
Heaven and fraternal love
The Holy Father also stressed that Christians are called to “anticipate heaven on earth and reveal to all that fraternity and peace are our calling.”
In this form of love, each person discovers their true identity: “amidst a multitude of brothers and sisters, each one discovers that they are uniquely made.”.
In closing, the Pope entrusted this message to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, asking her to pray that “every Christian community may be a home open to all and attentive to each person”.
Source: Vatican News