On May 20, the pontiff began a new series of catechesis about the Second Vatican Council\u02bcs constitution on the sacred liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium. <\/p>\n
The conciliar text marks a shift in emphasis in the understanding of the liturgy: Whereas the Tridentine Mass prior to Vatican II focused primarily on the sacrificial dimension, the conciliar liturgical reform placed at the forefront Christ acting in the liturgy, setting at the center the paschal mystery \u2014 his passion, death, resurrection, and glorification \u2014 which is made sacramentally present in every celebration.<\/p>\n
Not just a reform of the rites<\/p>\n
The pope explained that the council fathers at Vatican II sought not only an external reform of the rites but also a broader spiritual deepening: \u201cIn drafting this constitution, the council fathers sought not only to undertake a reform of the rites but to lead the Church to contemplate and deepen that living bond which constitutes and unites her: the mystery of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Pope Leo XIV stoops to greet a baby while circling St. Peter\u2019s Square in the popemobile before his general audience on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez\/EWTN News<\/p>\n
The pontiff thus affirmed that \u201cevery time we take part in the assembly gathered \u2018in his name\u2019 we are immersed in this mystery,\u201d stressing that Christ continues to act in the Church as \u201che who is present in the proclaimed word, in the sacraments, in the ministers who celebrate, in the gathered community and, in the highest degree, in the Eucharist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Referring to St. Augustine, Leo recalled that in celebrating the Eucharist the Church \u201creceives the body of the Lord and becomes what she receives,\u201d thus becoming the body of Christ and \u201ca dwelling place of God in the Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope also insisted that the liturgy is not an isolated act but \u201cthe summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed \u2026 the font from which all her power flows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo highlighted the missionary and universal dimension of the liturgy, which \u201crepresents a sign of the unity of the entire human race in Christ,\u201d and, quoting pope Francis, recalled that \u201cthe world still does not know it, but everyone is invited to the supper of the wedding of the Lamb.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pontiff concluded by inviting the faithful to allow themselves to be transformed by the liturgical action. \u201cLet us allow ourselves to be shaped inwardly by the rites, symbols, gestures, and above all the living presence of Christ in the liturgy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, the head of the Armenian Church and one of the most important figures in Eastern Christianity, was also present during the general audience. The pope said the fraternal visit by the Armenian Orthodox leader \u201crepresents an important opportunity to strengthen the bonds of unity that already exist between us, as we move toward full communion between our churches.\u201d<\/p>\n