Pope Leo says Sunday Eucharist is ‘indispensable’

Speaking at his April 12 Regina Caeli address, Pope Leo XIV called the Eucharist “indispensable to the Christian life” and urged Christians to become “witnesses of charity and messengers of reconciliation,” while renewing appeals for peace in conflicts including Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan.

Speaking on Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast established by Pope John Paul II, Pope Leo reflected on the Gospel account of the Apostle Thomas, saying faith is not easy but must be continually strengthened through encounter with the risen Christ.

“It is not always easy to believe,” he said. “It was not easy for Thomas, and it is not easy for us either,” adding that “faith needs to be nourished and sustained.” 

He pointed to Sunday Mass as the central place of that encounter, urging Catholics to “gather together and celebrate the Eucharist,” where “we listen to the words of Jesus, we pray, we profess our faith,” and are sent out on mission. 

“The Sunday Eucharist is indispensable to the Christian life,” Pope Leo said. 

He cited the witness of early African martyrs who, when ordered to abandon Sunday worship, responded “that they could not live without celebrating the Lord’s Day,” presenting them as a model of fidelity as he prepares for his upcoming trip to Africa. 

>> Vatican details Pope Leo XIV’s four-nation Africa trip << 

Turning to global conflicts, Pope Leo said the world is “in such great need of peace” and called for concrete steps to end violence. 

Noting a moment of Christian unity, he said many Eastern Churches were celebrating Easter this weekend, extending his "heartfelt wishes for peace to all these communities” before turning to Ukraine. He prayed “for all those suffering due to war,” asking that “the light of Christ bring comfort to afflicted hearts and strengthen the hope for peace,” and urging that international attention “not waver.”

He also said he felt “closer than ever” to the people of Lebanon, invoking “the principle of humanity” that obliges protection of civilians and calling on parties in the conflict to “declare a ceasefire and urgently seek a peaceful solution.” 

Marking the approaching anniversary of the war in Sudan, the Holy Father lamented the suffering of “innocent victims of this inhuman tragedy” and renewed his appeal to warring parties “to silence their weapons and begin, without preconditions, a sincere dialogue aimed at ending this fratricidal war as soon as possible.”