Pope Leo XIV called for a renewed understanding of the laity’s role in the Catholic Church during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square on March 18.
The pope addressed the importance of every baptized person actively participating in evangelization and emphasized the responsibilities that come with being part of God’s people. “Let us rekindle in ourselves the awareness of and gratitude for having received the gift of being part of God’s people and also the responsibility that this entails,” Leo said.
During his catechesis, which focused on chapter 2 of Lumen Gentium, a key document from the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo XIV explained that both clergy and lay faithful share a capacity to safeguard revealed truth. He stated that this is rooted in “the supernatural sense of faith of the entire people of God, which is manifested in the consensus” among all members. The pope added: “It follows that each baptized person is an active agent of evangelization, called to bear consistent witness to Christ in accordance with the prophetic gift which the Lord bestows upon his whole Church.”
Leo XIV referenced Vatican II teachings, noting that all members participate in Christ’s mission as priest, prophet, and king. He explained that baptism and confirmation strengthen Christians’ obligation to spread and defend their faith: “are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith, both by word and by deed, as true witnesses of Christ.” The pontiff also quoted Pope Francis to highlight shared dignity within the Church: “everyone forms the faithful holy people of God.”
A central theme was “sensus fidei,” or “sense of faith,” described as a faculty enabling believers to recognize authentic revelation and distinguish between true and false teachings. “The sense of faith therefore belongs to individual believers not in their own right but as members of the people of God as a whole,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV concluded by emphasizing how gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit contribute to ongoing renewal within the Church. He cited various ecclesial associations as examples of spiritual vitality: “By these gifts he makes them fit and ready to undertake the various tasks and offices which contribute toward the renewal and building up of the Church.”
