Pope at Audience: Active participation in liturgy leads us to relationship with God

Key Points:

• Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of the Second Vatican Council’s liturgical reform during the August 26 General Audience, highlighting its goal to foster active participation of the faithful and deepen their relationship with God.
• He explained that the reform, rooted in the Church’s living tradition, introduced significant changes such as celebrating liturgy in vernacular languages and encouraged the faithful’s full, conscious involvement rather than passive attendance.
• The Pope stressed the responsibility of bishops and priests to safeguard a liturgy that respects norms while promoting unity and evangelization, rejecting abuses that distort the reform’s principles.
• Citing Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini (future Pope Paul VI), Pope Leo noted that liturgy is both divine and human expression, requiring active participation from the faithful to foster spiritual unity.
• The Pope underscored that liturgy is a living tradition that adapts over time, with Sacrosanctum Concilium distinguishing between immutable divine elements and human elements subject to change for clarity and accessibility.