VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a world marked by division and ideological conflict, Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to reject walls of separation and embrace Jesus as "a door that unites," reminding pilgrims that true Christian hope lies in connecting rather than dividing.
Addressing thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Basilica June 14 for a special Jubilee audience, the pope said the Holy Year 2025 must be lived as a mission of communion, rooted in the theological virtue of hope.
"To hope is to connect," he said, stating that the Jubilee is an "open door" to the mystery of God's connection with humanity which is rooted in Christ's incarnation.
The audience continued a series begun by Pope Francis exploring a dimension of hope through the example of a spiritual figure. This time, Pope Leo focused on St. Irenaeus of Lyon, whom he described as a "master of unity" and a bridge between East and West.
Born in 130 in Asia Minor and later serving as bishop in present-day France, St. Irenaeus "carried with him the witness of those who had directly known the Apostles," the pope said. His life and ministry reflected the way in which cultures, peoples and churches can mutually enrich one another -- a dynamic the pope likened to today's migrant communities, which he said often revitalize faith in their host countries.
Amid early church divisions, St. Irenaeus did not retreat in despair, but instead "learned to think more deeply, always focusing on Jesus," the pope said. In a world fragmented by doctrinal disputes, political pressures and persecution, he found unity not by suppressing difference, but by recognizing how Christ reconciles opposites in his own person.
"Jesus is not a wall that separates, but a door that unites us," the pope said. "He is life itself among us. He gathers the opposites, makes communion possible."
Pope Leo warned against the dangers of ideology and verbal violence, noting that in the modern world "ideas can go mad and words can kill." What grounds society, he said, is the shared human condition: "the flesh," which "binds us to the earth and to other creatures."
In this, too, Christ is central. "The flesh of Jesus must be welcomed and contemplated in every brother and sister, in every creature," he said. "Let us hear the cry of the flesh. Let us be called by name through the pain of others."
Hope, the pope said, is not a distant ideal but a daily commitment. It is a call to "move toward communion," to become builders of bridges, not guards of gates. "Distinguishing is useful," he said, "but never dividing."
Echoing a line from the Lord's Prayer, "on earth as it is in heaven," Pope Leo said the Jubilee Year must inspire Catholics to act as agents of connection in a fragmented world. "Let us open doors," he said. "Let us connect worlds and there will be hope."
