Leo XIV before he was Pope: the full homily that moved the Santiago Bernabéu

The excerpt shown at the gathering of the Archdiocese of Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu stadium comes from a homily given by the then Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, now Pope Leo XIV, on November 26, 2006 at the parish of Santa Rita in Madrid, entrusted to the Augustinian Recollects.

The voice that thousands of people recently heard in the Santiago Bernabéu stadium during the Madrid diocesan gathering belonged to the man who years later would be elected Successor of Peter. The excerpt came from a homily given by the then Fr. Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, during the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King at the parish of Santa Rita in Madrid on November 26, 2006.

At that time Prevost was serving as Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine and was taking part in the closing celebrations of the Augustinian Jubilee, which had marked several significant events for the Augustinian family, among them the 1,650th anniversary of the birth of Saint Augustine and the 750th anniversary of the Grand Union of the Order.

A call to build the Kingdom through charity

The homily centres on the meaning of Christ’s Kingdom and on Christians’ vocation to be witnesses of the Gospel by serving those most in need. Starting from the Gospel of Matthew and the passage on the Last Judgement («I was hungry and you gave me food»), the future Pontiff stressed that love for the poor is a concrete expression of following Jesus Christ.

Drawing on Saint Augustine, he recalled that Christ becomes present in those who suffer and said that every gesture of solidarity towards the least is directed to the Lord himself. The celebration of the Augustinian Jubilee, he explained, could only be fully understood in the light of that Gospel call to love God and neighbour.

A very timely reflection

One of the most striking aspects of the text, read today in the light of Leo XIV’s pontificate, is how relevant his pastoral concerns remain. The then Prior General warned of the danger of indifference towards the poor, denounced materialism and consumerism, and called for authentic forms of Gospel poverty and commitment to social justice.

He also invited Christian communities to become a prophetic presence in the world, able to proclaim truth and hope through a way of life consistent with the Gospel.

«Today the world needs, above all, credible witnesses»

The homily culminates in one of the phrases that best sum up his message. Taking up a teaching of Saint John Paul II, Prevost said that the most effective evangelization consists in showing Christ’s presence with one’s own life, and concluded with a statement that remains fully relevant: «Today the world needs, above all, credible witnesses».

That message, given almost twenty years ago in an Augustinian Recollect parish in Madrid, resounded once again before thousands of people at the Santiago Bernabéu. It reveals some of the spiritual and pastoral lines already present in the man who today guides the universal Church as Pope Leo XIV.