Pope Leo XIV on Sunday underscored the family as the foundational sign of God’s love and unity, urging parents, children, and grandparents to be witnesses of peace, fidelity, and intergenerational care.
Speaking during the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly at St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff drew from Jesus’ prayer for unity in the Gospel of John, describing the family as a living image of the communion between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
“We are here in order to be ‘one’ as the Lord wants us to be ‘one,’” the pope said. “Different, yet one; many, yet one; always, in every situation and at every stage of life.”
The homily was anchored on the theme of unity—not as uniformity, but as communion rooted in divine love. Citing Jesus’ words, “that they may all be one,” Pope Leo said God’s desire for unity is not abstract but deeply personal. Families, he explained, are called to reflect this same communion in daily life.
He warned that while relationships are essential to life, they can be damaged by selfishness and violence. “That human kindness is sometimes betrayed,” he said, “as for example, whenever freedom is invoked not to give life, but to take it away, not to help, but to hurt.”
Despite these wounds, the pope said Jesus’ prayer continues to offer “a balm,” inviting forgiveness and reconciliation. In families, this love is expressed most concretely—parents nurturing children, children honoring their elders, and grandparents offering wisdom and patience.
Pope Leo also emphasized that no one comes into the world by their own choice. Quoting Pope Francis, he said: “All of us are sons and daughters, but none of us chose to be born.” This dependence on others, especially at birth, reveals how essential relationships are to human survival and flourishing.
Highlighting the beatification and canonization of married couples in recent decades, including Saints Louis and Zélie Martin and the Ulma family of Poland, the pope said their witness speaks to a deep truth: the world needs the marriage covenant to counteract the forces that divide societies.
He noted that marriage should not be treated as a mere ideal but as a real expression of “total, faithful and fruitful” love. Such love, he said, “makes you one flesh and enables you, in the image of God, to bestow the gift of life.”
The pope encouraged parents to be examples of integrity and to educate their children “in freedom through obedience.” He reminded children to practice daily gratitude, saying that “thank you” is the first way to honor one’s parents. To the elderly, he appealed for guidance marked by humility and compassion.
“In the family,” he said, “faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation. It is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts.”
Pope Leo concluded by invoking a vision of eternal unity, quoting Saint Augustine’s phrase uno unum—that all may be one in Christ. He reminded those present that unity in God’s love transcends generations, embracing those still living and those who have gone before into eternal life.
