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If the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil.Ps 127:1

Life & Family General Audience, 21 October 2026

Pope Leo XIV defends life conceived in first general audience

Catholic IntelligenceUpdated 1 min read

Pope Leo XIV told a crowd at a general audience in St. Peter's Square that life must be protected with the utmost care once conceived. During his teaching based on the document Gaudium et spes, the Pope urged political and cultural leaders to support marriage and the family. He stated that protecting conceived life requires avoiding abortion and infanticide.

The audience was the Pope's first since his hospitalization at Gemelli, where he underwent surgery eight days ago to remove the lower lobe of his right lung due to an adenocarcinoma. He began the gathering by thanking the faithful for their prayers and expressing gratitude to God.

Addressing the social function of the family, the Pope described children as the most excellent gift of marriage. He noted that the family serves as a foundation of society and a school of humanity. He called for an urgent commitment from those with social responsibilities to promote marriage and family life.

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Earlier version, Wednesday 21 October

Pope Leo XIV holds first general audience after cancer surgery

How the coverage unfolded

  1. Oct 21, 1:50 AM Vatican News Italiano Leone XIV: urgente promuovere la famiglia, la vita concepita va protetta
  2. Oct 21, 3:11 AM CathoBel Français Heureux de retrouver les fidèles, le Pape consacre sa catéchèse à la famille : « La vie, une fois conçue, doit être protégée avec le plus g…
  3. Oct 21, 3:33 AM Toscana Oggi Italiano Leone XIV: “Vita concepita deve essere protetta”
  4. Oct 21, 5:15 AM Military Ordinariate of Argentina Español PAPA LEÓN XIV | Que la Sagrada Familia de Nazaret nos ilumine en el camino y proteja a las familias de todo el mundo
  5. Oct 21, 5:32 AM America Pope Leo in surprisingly good form at first general audience after cancer surgery
  6. Oct 21, 5:43 AM Crux Pope Leo’s alma mater Villanova traveling to Rome for hoops doubleheader vs. Notre Dame
  7. Oct 21, 8:11 AM ACI Prensa Español FOTOS: El Papa León XIV retoma su Audiencia General 8 días después de su operación de cáncer

More on Pope Leo XIV

  1. Oct 22, 1:46 PM PT · 57 sources Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus
  2. Oct 22, 1:31 PM PT · 46 sources Pope Leo XIV's doctors confirm no further treatment is necessary
  3. Oct 22, 1:31 PM PT · 33 sources Pope Leo XIV needs no further treatment after lung cancer surgery
  4. Oct 22, 1:21 PM PT Chicago artist creates Marian icon for Pope Leo XIV, who will keep the image in his bedroom
  5. Oct 22, 1:17 PM PT · 2 sources Pope Leo XIV is cancer-free
  6. Oct 22, 1:00 PM PT · 11 sources Pope Leo XIV urges Catholic schools to help young people
  7. Oct 22, 12:43 PM PT · 25 sources Pope Leo XIV meets American Jewish Committee
  8. Oct 22, 12:12 PM PT · 7 sources Pope Leo XIV invites young people to Seoul for WYD 2027
  9. Oct 22, 12:11 PM PT · 3 sources Pope Leo XIV to visit Argentina
  10. Oct 22, 11:21 AM PT · 25 sources Pope Leo XIV invites youth to Seoul for World Youth Day 2027
  11. Oct 22, 10:39 AM PT · 3 sources Pope Leo XIV to hold private audience with Villanova, Notre Dame teams
  12. Oct 22, 10:13 AM PT · 5 sources Pope Leo XIV invites 2027 World Youth Day participants
  13. Oct 22, 9:05 AM PT Pope Leo XIV and the Pressure to Be Perfect: “Many Give Up Before Even Trying”
  14. Oct 22, 8:32 AM PT · 4 sources Pope Leo XIV invites young people to register for World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul
  15. Oct 22, 8:30 AM PT A Global Symphony of Prayer: 16 Readers Share Ways They Prayed for Pope Leo XIV
  16. Oct 22, 8:20 AM PT · 6 sources Pope Leo XIV invites young people to Seoul for WYD 2027
  17. Oct 22, 8:07 AM PT · 33 sources Pope Leo XIV appoints 24 new members to International Theological Commission
  18. Oct 22, 8:01 AM PT · 7 sources Pope Leo XIV appoints Leandro Machado Silvestre as bishop of Guajará-Mirim
  19. Oct 22, 8:01 AM PT · 21 sources Pope Leo XIV leads General Audience on October 21, 2026, emphasizing marriage and family
  20. Oct 22, 8:01 AM PT · 23 sources Pope Leo XIV receives participants in Holiness in History conference
  21. Oct 22, 7:28 AM PT · 2 sources Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas presented to Dutch and Flemish bishops
  22. Oct 22, 6:18 AM PT · 61 sources Pope Leo XIV speaks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
  23. Oct 22, 5:20 AM PT · 9 sources Pope Leo XIV backs Synod on Synodality
  24. Oct 22, 4:30 AM PT · 3 sources COMECE bishops send message of prayer and support to Pope Leo XIV
  25. Oct 22, 4:01 AM PT · 2 sources Pope Leo XIV receives participants of Congress on Pastoral Care in Schools and Universities

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