General Audience, 7 October 2026

Pope Leo XIV told pilgrims during a general audience on Wednesday, 7 October, that the Church's primary mission is to help people address profound questions regarding life, such as human origins, destiny, and the meaning of love and suffering.

During his catechesis on the fourth chapter of the first part of the document *Gaudium et spes*, the pope explained that the Church is not positioned above or beside the world but is inserted within it. He stated that while the Church moves through history and social relations, its methods and goals are not political in nature. Instead, the Church seeks to bring about the Kingdom of God and the salvation of humanity through personal holiness and fraternal love.

Pope Leo XIV noted that the Church acts as a sign of God's incarnation to manifest a plan for a single human family. He warned that the gap between professed faith and daily life is one of the most serious errors of the current era. He urged Christians to work for peace and justice and to reject the oppression of the poor, stating that those who worship Christ cannot reconcile with the mistreatment of the most vulnerable.