León XIV presided over this January 1st his first Angelus prayer of 2026, after the Mass celebrated in the Vatican Basilica for the solemnity of Saint Mary Mother of God and the 59th World Day of Peace, before the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
In his message, the Pontiff wished a happy new year and invited not to limit the beginning of the new time to a mere change of calendar, but to renew the heart to inaugurate an authentic stage of peace and friendship among peoples. He recalled that the recently concluded Jubilee has taught how to transform evil into good through conversion, forgiveness, and concrete works of charity.
We leave below the words of León XIV:
Dear brothers and sisters, happy new year!
While the rhythm of the months repeats, the Lord invites us to renew our time, finally inaugurating an era of peace and friendship among all peoples. Without this desire for good, it would make no sense to turn the pages of the calendar and fill our agendas.
The Jubilee, which is about to conclude, has taught us how to cultivate the hope of a new world: by converting the heart to God, so that we can transform grievances into forgiveness, pain into consolation, and intentions of virtue into good works. In fact, it is in this style that God Himself inhabits history and rescues it from oblivion, giving the world the Redeemer: Jesus. He is the Only Begotten Son who becomes our brother and enlightens the consciences of those of good will, so that we may build the future as a welcoming home for every man and every woman who is born.
In this sense, the Christmas feast today turns our gaze to Mary, who was the first to feel the heart of Christ beating. In the silence of her virginal womb, the Word of life is announced as a heartbeat of grace.
God, the good Creator, has always known Mary’s heart and ours. By becoming man, He reveals His own to us; therefore, the heart of Jesus beats for every man and every woman. For those who are willing to welcome Him, like the shepherds, and for those who do not want Him, like Herod. His heart is not indifferent to those who have no heart for their neighbor: it beats for the just, so that they may persevere in their giving; and for the unjust, so that they may change their lives and find peace.
The Savior comes into the world born of a woman; let us pause to adore this event, which shines in the Most Holy Mary and is reflected in every newborn, revealing the divine image imprinted on our body.
On this Day, let us all pray together for peace; especially among nations bloodied by conflicts and misery, but also in our homes, in families wounded by violence and pain. With the certainty that Christ, our hope, is the sun of justice that never sets, let us confidently implore the intercession of Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church.