During his latest General Audience, Pope Leo XIV reflected on his recent Apostolic Journey to France, identifying one theme that connected the many stops along the way: rebirth.

Relevant Radio Rome correspondent Ashley Noronha discussed the Holy Father’s reflections on Relevant in Rome with host Mark Swartzberg, highlighting how the Pope saw signs of renewal in churches, young Catholics, works of charity, and the Eucharist.

One of the clearest examples was Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Seven years after a devastating fire, the restored cathedral offered the Holy Father an image of what can happen when the Church, public institutions, and civil society cooperate for the common good while respecting the dignity of the human person.

But the Pope’s focus went beyond rebuilding a physical church. Notre Dame also pointed toward the renewal of the Church made up of “living stones.”

That theme continued as Pope Leo recalled celebrating Solemn Vespers at Notre Dame and later gathering with young Catholics at the Stadium of France. Ashley explained that the Pope was particularly struck by the young people’s openness, freedom, and faith.

The Holy Father also pointed to Maison Bakhita, where people serve those in need, as another example of renewal. Such works of charity may often remain hidden, but they bear the fruits of the Gospel and uphold the dignity of the human person.

Mark connected that message to the Christian understanding of suffering. Christians become living stones, he noted, when they unite their sufferings with Christ.

Pope Leo saw another form of rebuilding during the celebration of Mass at the Place de la Concorde. With the Eucharist at the center, he described the gathering as a deeper kind of reconstruction, one that ultimately can be accomplished only by God.

The journey also brought the Holy Father to Lourdes, which he described as a sanctuary of the “civilization of love,” before concluding in Metz, a region shaped by the devastation of World War II and closely connected to Robert Schuman and the beginnings of European unity.

From a restored cathedral to young Catholics gathered in faith, from service to the poor to the reception of the Eucharist, Pope Leo’s journey offered a consistent message: Destruction and suffering do not have the final word. In Christ, renewal remains possible for His Church and for the world.