Ashley Noronha joined John Morales on Morning Air to discuss Pope Leo XIV’s Wednesday General Audience from May 13, celebrated on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.
Before the start of his catechesis, Pope Leo XIV paused in St. Peter’s Square to pray at the site where St. John Paul II was shot during the attempt on his life in 1981.
As the Holy Father passed through the square, he stopped at the memorial marker embedded in the cobblestones, a white marble plaque bearing the coat of arms of St. John Paul II. Pope Leo knelt in prayer at the exact location where the Polish pontiff was wounded exactly forty-five years earlier.
The atmosphere in St. Peter’s Square reflected the significance of the day. Pilgrims carried rosaries, banners, and images of St. John Paul II, who famously credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life that day.
In his catechesis, Pope Leo focused on the Blessed Virgin Mary under the theme “Mary, Model of the Church.” Continuing his reflections on Lumen Gentium, the Holy Father spoke about Mary as both the Mother of God and the living image of what the Church is called to become.
Drawing from the Second Vatican Council, the Pope reflected on Mary’s unique role in salvation history and her deep union with the Church:
“…[Mary] is one with all those who are to be saved. She is ‘the mother of the members of Christ . . . having cooperated by charity that faithful might be born in the Church, who are members of that Head.’ Wherefore she is hailed as a pre-eminent and singular member of the Church, and as its type and excellent exemplar in faith and charity. The Catholic Church, taught by the Holy Spirit, honors her with filial affection and piety as a most beloved mother.” (Lumen Gentium, 53)
Pope Leo explained that Mary reveals what it means to be fully transformed by grace. Through her faithful acceptance of God’s will and her virginal love, she became the perfect model for every Christian and for the Church herself. Her life demonstrates what it means to receive Christ completely and to cooperate fully with God’s plan.
The Holy Father described Mary as the “believer par excellence” and the “icon of the Mystery.” He emphasized that Mary never draws attention away from Christ, but always leads the faithful closer to her Son. Her obedience, holiness, fruitful love, and communion with God make her the true Mother of the Church and a model of discipleship for all believers.
Pope Leo concluded by inviting Catholics to examine their spiritual lives through four questions inspired by Mary’s example:
- Do I live my participation in the Church with humble and active faith?
- Do I recognize in Mary the community of the covenant that God has given me to respond to His infinite love?
- Do I feel that I’m a living part of the Church, obedient to the pastors given by God?
- Do I look to Mary as a model, an outstanding member and Mother of the church, and ask her to help me to be a fruitful disciple of her Son?