Pope Leo XIV greets a child holding the flag of Malta during a parish visit to the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome, Italy, on March 15, 2026. CNS PHOTO/VATICAN MEDIA

BY DR. JEFF ANDRINI, EVANGELIZATION & DISCIPLESHIP

Lumen Gentium is Latin for “Light of the Nations,” and is the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church from the Second Vatican Council in 1964. There was overwhelming approval for this Constitution with a final vote of yes from 2,151 bishops and no from 5.

Pope Leo XIV is asking us to re-read the documents of Vatican II with a renewed sense of wonder for what the Holy Spirit was saying to the Church. These are all available online or in print. In case the original documents see too dense, consider ordering one or more of the “Vatican II in Plain English” books by Bill Huebsch.

During his General Audience on Feb. 18, 2026, Pope Leo XIV centered his catechesis on the “mystery” of the Church as presented in the Lumen Gentium. He explained that the Church is not a mere human institution but a “sacrament” – both a visible sign and an active instrument – of God’s plan to reconcile a fragmented humanity and unite all people to Himself through Christ. The Church is both a passive expression of what God wants for humanity (unity and peace) and an active participant. God does not just work on us; but involves us. This makes every member of the Church a “tool” God uses to bring people together.

Drawing on the document’s first chapter, the pope emphasized that this unity is uniquely experienced in the liturgical celebration, where earthly differences are relativized by the love of Christ. He concluded by reminding the faithful that because the Risen Lord remains active in the world, the Church serves as a sanctifying presence that makes the “previously hidden” plan of salvation perceptible to a world still marked by division.

He went on to explain that what matters in the liturgy isn’t one’s social status, race, or wealth, but the fact that everyone is “drawn by the love of Christ” who broke down the wall of separation between groups. He reminded the crowd that the word Ekklesia (Church) literally means, “those called together.” Therefore, the very existence of the Church is a counter-statement to a world that keeps pulling people apart.

Vatican II is not just some event that happened 60+ years ago, it is a moment in the Church where the Holy Spirit shed new light on the mission of the Church in our modern age and offered concrete ideas for how the Church is called to be engaged in the world. Pope Leo is asking the world to reread these documents and recognize how the Spirit is leading the Church in new ways for our contemporary world. The Church is a “sacrament” to the world and as such, can lead the way in proclaiming God’s love, mercy and truth to a hurting, alienated and desperate world.

For more information on Pope Leo’s reflections this year, tune into Fr. Larry Hostetter’s website and his Friday reflections on the Pope’s Wednesday General Audiences at https://libguides.brescia.edu/CARITAS/PopeLeo.

In Christ’s peace,

Jeff

Dr. Jeff Andrini is the director of the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship. Contact him at [email protected].

Originally printed in the April 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.