During the Caritas Social Action Network Conference Flourishing Together: Building Compassionate Communities, with a very early start on the morning of Wednesday 3rd June, Siân and Michael from the Caritas Brentwood team alongside other attendees, joined thousands in St Peter’s Square for the weekly General Audience with Pope Leo XIV.

Each week, people travel from every corner of the world with different languages, ages, cultures and stories to hear what the Pope has to say, and yet there is still a shared sense of purpose from everyone attending.

Our development officer, Michael, said this:

It was a fantastic experience being in-person at St Peter’s Square and listening to Pope Leo XIV teach. Not only were we able to listen to the Pope drawing on the wisdom of scripture and the Second Vatican Council, we were also face-to-face with the universal Church: with pilgrims and visitors from all across the world coming together to present and listen. 

Pope Leo’s catechesis that morning focused on the signs and symbols of the sacred liturgy. In it he said we are “not guided by calculations of productivity, but by something deeper.” When we think about the work of Caritas Brentwood, it is not about simply delivering services but living out our faith in a deeper way, as Pope Leo XIV encourages, reminding anyone that we come into contact with that they are seen, have dignity and belong.

“…We are thus formed in listening to the Word of God, in giving thanks and in adoration, in fraternal sharing and in ecclesial communion. We discover that we are an assembly with many faces, united by the same faith.”

Simply put: the liturgy and the work of justice are not separate things but are intertwined. We are called to be disciples always and in all aspects of our life, not just within the liturgy. Being in St Peter’s Square reminded us that the Diocese of Brentwood is part of a much larger Church, with people all over the world responding to poverty, inequality and exclusion.

If you’d like to read the full text of what the Pope said, click here<<

Have you been fortunate enough to attend a papal audience? Could you share with us what it was like for you? Contact: [email protected]

All photos © Siân Thomas-Cullinan