The text of Leo XIV's homily at the beginning of his pontificate

In these last few days, we have experienced a particularly intense time. The death of Pope Francis filled our hearts with sadness and, in those difficult hours, we felt like those crowds of whom the Gospel says that they were "like sheep without a shepherd" (Mt 9:36). It was precisely on Easter Day that we received his final blessing and, in the light of the Resurrection, we faced this moment in the certainty that the Lord never abandons his people, gathers them together when they are scattered, and "keeps them as a shepherd his flock" (Jer 31:10).

In this spirit of faith, the College of Cardinals gathered for the Conclave; coming from different histories and different paths, we placed in God's hands the desire to elect the new successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, a pastor capable of preserving the rich heritage of the Christian faith and, at the same time, of casting his gaze far into the distance, to meet the questions, anxieties and challenges of today. Accompanied by your prayer, we felt the work of the Holy Spirit, who was able to tune the different musical instruments, making the strings of our hearts vibrate in a single melody.

I was chosen without any merit and, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother who wants to be a servant of your faith and joy, walking with you on the path of God's love, which wants us all united in one family.

Love and unity: these are the two dimensions of the mission entrusted to Peter by Jesus.

The Gospel passage tells us this, leading us to the Lake of Tiberias, the same lake where Jesus had begun the mission He had received from the Father: to "fish" humanity to save it from the waters of evil and death. Passing by the shore of that lake, He had called Peter and the other first disciples to be like Him "fishers of men"; and now, after the resurrection, it is their turn to carry on this mission, to cast the net again and again to immerse in the waters of the world the hope of the Gospel, to sail in the sea of life so that all may find themselves in God's embrace.

How can Peter carry out this task? The Gospel tells us that it is only possible because he has experienced in his own life the infinite and unconditional love of God, even in the hour of failure and denial. That is why, when it is Jesus who addresses Peter, the Gospel uses the Greek verb agapao, which refers to the love that God has for us, to his offering himself without reserve and without calculation, different from the one used for Peter's reply, which instead describes the love of friendship, which we exchange among ourselves.

When Jesus asks Peter: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" (Jn 21:16), he is therefore referring to the love of the Father. It is as if Jesus were saying to him: only if you have known and experienced this love of God, which never fails, will you be able to shepherd my lambs; only in the love of God the Father will you be able to love your brothers and sisters with a 'more', that is, by offering your life for your brothers and sisters.

Peter, therefore, is entrusted with the task of 'loving more' and giving his life for the flock. Peter's ministry is marked precisely by this oblative love, because the Church of Rome presides in charity and its true authority is the charity of Christ. It is never a matter of capturing others with oppression, religious propaganda or the means of power, but it is always and only a matter of loving as Jesus did.

He - says the Apostle Peter himself - "is the stone, which was rejected by you, the builders, and has become the cornerstone" (Acts 4:11). And if the stone is Christ, Peter must shepherd the flock without ever yielding to the temptation of being a lone leader or a leader placed above others, making himself master of the people entrusted to him (cf. 1 Peter 5:3); on the contrary, he is required to serve the faith of his brothers, walking with them: we are all, in fact, constituted "living stones" (1Pt 2:5), called by our Baptism to build God's edifice in fraternal communion, in the harmony of the Spirit, in the coexistence of diversity. As St Augustine states: 'The Church consists of all those who are in harmony with their brothers and who love their neighbour' (Sermon 359, 9).

This, brothers and sisters, I would like it to be our first great desire: a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes leaven for a reconciled world.

In these times of ours, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, fear of diversity, an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth's resources and marginalises the poorest. And we want to be, within this dough, a small leaven of unity, of communion, of fraternity. We want to say to the world, with humility and with joy: look to Christ! Draw near to Him! Receive His Word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his proposal of love to become his one family: in the one Christ we are one. And this is the path to take together, among ourselves but also with our sister Christian Churches, with those who tread other religious paths, with those who cultivate the restlessness of the search for God, with all women and men of good will, to build a new world in which peace reigns.

This is the missionary spirit that must animate us, without closing ourselves off in our own small group or feeling superior to the world; we are called to offer the love of God to all, so that that unity is realised that does not annul differences, but enhances the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of each people.

Brothers, sisters, this is the hour of love! The charity of God that makes us brothers and sisters among ourselves is the heart of the Gospel and, with my predecessor Leo XIII, we can ask ourselves today: if this criterion "prevailed in the world, would not all dissension immediately cease and would not peace return?" (Encyclical Letter Rerum novarum, 21).

With the light and strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a Church founded on God's love and a sign of unity, a missionary Church, which opens its arms to the world, which proclaims the Word, which allows itself to be troubled by history, and which becomes a leaven of concord for humanity.

Together, as one people, as brothers all, let us walk towards God and love one another.