Pope Leo XIV calls for unity in a world marked by division

Pope Leo XIV met a group of bishops from various parts of the world, friends of the Focolare Movement, in a morning audience at the Vatican. He stressed the importance of bearing witness to unity in an increasingly fragmented world, and expressed concern about the divisions, prejudice, racism, religious intolerance and violence affecting many countries.

"As sharers in the spiritual heritage of Chiara Lubich and as ministers of Christ's Church in a fragmented world, you are called to bear witness to the longed-for unity of the human family," the pope said. He said the answer to the "sad divisions that afflict our world" lies not in "forming more committees or launching more projects, but in returning to the source of our unity in the Most Holy Trinity."

Witnessing to unity in times of crisis

The bishops were attending a congress on the theme "bearing witness to unity." The pope called this an essential element of the movement founded by Chiara Lubich, and one that "particularly touches my heart." Of Lubich he said, "our Lord granted her to bear witness both to the meaning and to the service of unity, thus becoming a sign for her generation and for those to come."

The pope said the task is urgent today. He referred to the difficult circumstances and social situations some of the bishops face in their own countries, where violence and intolerance are part of daily life. "I also think of the situation here in the West, now too marked by the effects of individualism," he said, adding that once-stable social bonds such as the family and the community are giving way to greater fragmentation.

Individual freedom and a loss of openness

Despite the emphasis on individual freedom, the pope said, many people feel less free to be themselves or to follow their highest ideals because they fear being judged. "This loss of openness to others sharpens a sense of disunity, which deprives us of the happiness for which we were created," he said. He recalled that human beings are made in the image of the Triune God, who is a communion of persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Church as a mystery of communion

The pope closed his address by saying that "the Church is this, a mystery of communion, a sign and leaven of unity for our world." He encouraged the bishops to use their time together to live the fraternity that reminds them of their kinship in Christ. He also encouraged them to nourish their interior life and become witnesses to the unity that builds a lasting peace.