On Morning Air, Ashley Noronha joined Glen Lewerenz to discuss how Pope Leo’s teaching calls every Christian to engage others with openness of heart and firmness of faith.
At his Wednesday General Audience on October 29, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the theme of interreligious dialogue, drawing from the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. The Holy Father described this Gospel moment as a model for authentic dialogue between believers, rooted in sincerity, mutual respect, and the shared longing for God that lives in every human heart.
The Holy Father reminded the faithful that this thirst, expressed in Jesus’ words, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth” (John 4:24), is both divine and human. God thirsts for the heart of man, and man thirsts for the love of God. In that exchange of desire, illustrated by Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman, barriers of gender, culture, and religion are overcome. It shows that worship is not confined to a place or a people, but is realized in spirit and truth wherever hearts are open to grace.
The Pope’s catechesis coincided with the anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, promulgated on October 28, 1965, by Pope Saint Paul VI. That landmark document called the Church to cross those barriers with understanding and respect, while never compromising the fullness of truth revealed in Jesus Christ. Pope Leo noted that Nostra Aetate continues to bear fruit today, opening new paths of spiritual hospitality, mutual understanding, and respect for the dignity of every person created in the image of God.
True dialogue, the Holy Father emphasized, must be grounded in love and truth, not mere tolerance. The goal of encountering those of other religions is not to water down the Gospel, but to witness to it more clearly. Respect and charity must always be joined to fidelity to Christ, for only truth spoken in love can draw souls closer to God.
In a world often divided by difference, the Church continues to offer the living water of Christ to all who thirst for truth, reminding us that every act of dialogue is an opportunity to bring others nearer to the well of salvation.