VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV celebrated Pentecost by highlighting the role of the Holy Spirit in his repeated calls for peace in recent months, saying the spirit also guides the Church to truth amid a world marked by war, division and ideological fragmentation.

During Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope said the Holy Spirit continues Christ’s work in the world by restoring peace through forgiveness and transforming fear and confusion into communion with God and others.

"Pentecost truly appears as the feast of the New Covenant, the Covenant between God and all the peoples of the world," the pope said May 24 in his homily marking the end of the Easter season.

Reflecting on the Gospel passage of Christ appearing to the apostles after the resurrection, Pope Leo said Jesus restored peace between God and humanity through his Paschal Mystery and poured that peace into the world through the Holy Spirit.

"This peace stems from forgiveness and leads us to forgiveness," he said, emphasizing that Jesus first offered forgiveness even after being "betrayed, condemned and crucified."

"God’s holy law is inscribed in our hearts, engraved by the spirit with letters of love in the flesh of Christ and in his body the Church," Pope Leo said. "This law is the rule of peace: It is the twofold commandment of love that the spirit reminds us of with every heartbeat."

Turning to the Church’s mission, the pope said Christians are called to continue proclaiming Christ through acts of mercy, virtue and witness in daily life. Calling the faithful "coworkers of the Gospel," he said the Holy Spirit transforms believers into agents of reconciliation and hope.

"The work of God, therefore, is each one of us, who came here today from all parts of the world, invited to the Lord’s table, gathered to listen to his word and called to bear witness to it everywhere," he said.

The pope also described the Holy Spirit as the source of unity and truth within the Church, warning against "partisanship, hypocrisy and fads that obscure the light of the Gospel."

While acknowledging that some changes in the modern world have brought "error and violence," Pope Leo said the Holy Spirit continues to renew humanity and introduce salvation.

"The Church’s mission bears witness to this offer, thereby transforming the world’s confusion into communion with God and among ourselves," he said.

Concluding his homily, the pope prayed for the Holy Spirit to free the world from war, misery and sin.

"Dear friends, with fervent hearts, let us pray today that the spirit of the Risen One may save us from the evil of war, which is overcome not by a superpower, but by the omnipotence of love," he said.

In his Regina Caeli address after Mass, Pope Leo said the Holy Spirit "opens doors," saying it gave the apostles the courage to leave the locked room following Jesus' death and proclaim Christ. 

The pope said the Holy Spirit opens three doors: the door to encountering God personally, the door of the Church so it can remain welcoming to all and engaged with the modern world, and the door of the human heart, overcoming "selfishness, mistrust and prejudice."

"We need to rediscover God as the father who loves us, so that we can form a Church where everyone feels at home, and build a fraternal world where peace reigns among all peoples," he said from the window of the Apostolic Palace, a day before releasing his first encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" on the care of the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. 

After the Regina Caeli prayer, Pope Leo commemorated the Day of Prayer for the Church in China and prayed for victims of a mining accident in northern China that reportedly killed 82 people. He also prayed for Christian communities in the Holy Land, Lebanon and across the Middle East suffering due to the ongoing conflict.

Following the Regina Caeli prayer, Pope Leo XIV entrusts Chinese Christians to the Virgin Mary, praying that they might be witnesses of “hope and peace.” The Pope’s thoughts also turn to those suffering from the conflict in the Holy Land.

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At the Regina Caeli, the Pope urged everyone to invoke the Holy Spirit, who opens the doors to faith and encourages the Church to be “welcoming and hospitable to all.” And may the Holy Spirit help us overcome “resistance, selfishness, mistrust, and prejudice,” allowing fraternity to flourish.

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During his Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost, Pope Leo XIV reflected on how the Holy Spirit continues to work wonders in our lives, saying that by enlightening minds and instilling new vitality in our hearts, the Paraclete “transfigures history, opening it to salvation, which is the gift that the Lord offers to everyone.”

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The joy of the people of Acerra, in Italy's southern Campania region, for Pope Leo XIV's visit to their wounded land, was manifested throughout the morning as he met with clergy and residents who brought gifts, smiles and music wherever he went.

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Civilians in Gaza continue to face daily violence and the spread of infectious disease – all being made worse by blockages of essential medical supplies.

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A Mass of Reparation is celebrated in Peru for communities harmed by the now-suppressed “Sodalitium Christiane Vitae” as Church leaders renew calls for justice, healing, and accountability.

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The Catholic Church in Ghana is actively preparing for the release of Pope Leo’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” aiming to align its response to technological advancements with the Pope’s upcoming guidance. A high-level workshop of key religious leaders on ethical and pastoral response to emerging technologies has just concluded in Accra. The encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas will be launched in the Vatican on Monday, 25 May.

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Vatican News reports from the southern Italian town of Acerra, in the ‘Land of Fires’, as Pope Leo pays a pastoral visit. Michele Pannella and Alessandro Cannavacciuolo, from the association “Volontari antiroghi Acerra” (Acerra Anti-Fires Volunteers), describe the decades of environmental damage in the region.

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St. John Baptist de de Rossi, also known as Giovanni Battista de' Rossi, was born on February 22, 1698 in Voltaggio, Italy. He was the fourth child of Charles de Rossi and Frances Anfossi, known to be a holy and faith filled couple. Though John's family was not financially wealthy, they were rich in faith. Through their guidance and a wonderful education, John learned to excel in his living faith, piety and gentleness. A pair of priests, Scipio Gaetano and Giuseppe Repetto, saw great ...