Pope Leo on the dignity and mission of the laity: They are the Body of Christ

The laity are not “a formless mass, but the body of Christ,” endowed with dignity and responsibility in the Church and in the world, Pope Leo XIV said in his catechesis at the general audience on Wednesday.

After riding around a packed St. Peter’s Square in the popemobile on April 1, the Holy Father recalled the nature and mission of the laity, who for centuries had been defined simply as “those who are not part of the clergy or the consecrated life” in a reflection based on the Second Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium.

Dignity and mission of the laity

The pope explained that Vatican II broke with the former understanding of the laity by affirming the equality of all the baptized and emphasizing both the dignity and the mission of the laity in the Church and in the world.

“Naturally, the greater the gift, the greater the commitment too,” the pontiff said.

In light of Lumen Gentium, Leo affirmed that, by virtue of baptism, “the lay faithful participate in the very priesthood of Christ.”

He recalled the apostolic exhortation Christifideles Laici, in which St. John Paul II emphasized that “the council, with its rich doctrinal, spiritual, and pastoral patrimony, has written as never before on the nature, dignity, spirituality, mission, and responsibility of the lay faithful.” In this way, the saintly pope “relaunched the apostolate of the laity,” Leo noted.

He also stressed that the vast field of the lay apostolate “is not confined to the Church but extends to the world” and that the Church is present “wherever her children profess and bear witness to the Gospel.”

As examples, he cited workplaces, civil society, and all human relationships, “wherever they, through their choices, show the beauty of Christian life, which foretells here and now the justice and peace that will be accomplished in the kingdom of God.”

Quoting Lumen Gentium, the Holy Father stated that “the world needs to be permeated by the spirit of Christ, and more effectively fulfill its purpose in justice, charity, and peace.” He added: “And this is possible only through the contribution, service, and witness of the laity!”

This, the pontiff explained, is the invitation to be the “outgoing” Church spoken of by Pope Francis: “a Church embodied in history, always open to mission, in which we are all called to be missionary disciples, apostles of the Gospel, witnesses of the kingdom of God, bearers of the joy of Christ whom we have encountered!”

During his greeting to pilgrims, Pope Leo XIV encouraged them to remain close to the tomb of Christ and to be faithful in the hour of silence and trial.

He also encouraged the faithful to strengthen their faith during Holy Week and to ask the Lord that the paschal mystery renew in them the grace to be joyful witnesses of the Risen One, confident that love and peace are stronger than death.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.