Pope Leo XIV waves to faithful as he arrives to hold the general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Feb. 18, 2026. OSV NEWS PHOTO/REMO CASILLI, REUTERS
Pope Leo speaks: Rediscovering the gift of the Second Vatican Council
BY DR. JEFF ANDRINI, EVANGELIZATION & DISCIPLESHIP
For his Wednesday General Audiences in 2026, Pope Leo XIV has shifted the focus to a new cycle of catechesis dedicated to the Second Vatican Council and its documents. He described this cycle as an opportunity to “rediscover the beauty and importance” of the Council. He noted that a generation of bishops and theologians have passed and the Church must rediscover these texts directly rather than through “hearsay.” He expressed that the Council’s teachings are particularly relevant for today’s globalized society and serve as a guiding star for the Church’s journey.
He began with a focus on Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation. Dei Verbum teaches that God reveals himself through scripture and tradition, preserved by the Church. It emphasizes that the bible is divinely inspired, humanly written, and essential for knowing Christ.
On Jan.14, drawing on Dei Verbum No. 2, the pope taught that revelation is not a set of abstract ideas but a “dialogue of covenant” where God invites humanity into his own company. He stressed that God speaks to us as friends, shifting the focus from merely knowing about God to truly knowing him. And he contrasted the depths of the Word of God with the shallow chatter of modern life, calling for return to silent, prayerful listening.
On Jan. 21, Pope Leo highlighted Christ as both the mediator and the fullness of all revelation, explaining that in Jesus, God has said everything he had to say. And on Jan. 28, the pope taught that the Word of God is a living and organic reality that grows within the Church’s tradition through the Holy Spirit. Quoting St. Gregory the Great, he noted that “Scripture grows with the one who reads it,” reminding the faithful that the Word unfolds most clearly when it is lived out in holiness.
It is important to remember that the documents of Vatican II were created by the Universal Church. All the world’s bishops gathered for four years in a row, roughly from September into December, ending in December 1965. The sixteen documents of Vatican II were voted on by nearly 2,500 bishops. The vote on Dei Verbum was 2,344 votes of yes, and 6 of no. It called the Church to embrace modern forms of scripture scholarship and to help the faithful value a living relationship with the Trinity through prayer and study.
Change happens very slowly in the Catholic Church, and the gift of the Second Vatican Council will continue producing good fruit for many years to come. Pope Leo is inviting the Church to rediscover the heart and spirit of Vatican II and to become a holy and missionary people willing to share the love of Christ with the world.
Fr. Larry Hostetter, pastor of St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro, is giving weekly updates on Fridays at noon at Brescia University about the pope’s Wednesday audiences. I invite you to check them out, either in-person at Brescia’s Field Center, room 211, or attend virtually. You can join via Zoom and watch previous messages at https://libguides.brescia.edu/CARITAS/PopeLeo.
Peace in Christ,
Jeff
Dr. Jeff Andrini is the director of the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship.
Originally printed in the March 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
