AT JUBILEE, POPE LEO XIV CALLS JUSTICE A VOCATION

 At Jubilee, Pope Leo XIV calls justice a vocation

Daniel Esparza - published on 09/22/25

Antoine Mekary | ALETEIA

The Jubilee’s spiritual takeaway is practical: justice is a vocation. It asks for clean hands and courageous hearts, fidelity to the law and reverence for the person.

On September 20, 2025, Pope Leo XIV opened the Jubilee of Justice with a clear charge to jurists, lawmakers, and all who serve the common good: pursue a justice that restores, reconciles, and protects the dignity of every person.

Greeting participants “from many countries” who represent courts and legal institutions, the Pope framed the day as a pilgrimage of hope, echoing the Jubilee theme of renewing trust “in the Church and in society.” Justice, he said, is more than procedures or penalties; it is a cardinal virtue that “guides the conscience” and moves society toward the common good.

Drawing on Scripture, he highlighted a justice that goes beyond legal minimalism. He pointed to the widow who perseveres before a judge (Luke 18:1–8), the vineyard owner who pays latecomers a full wage (Matthew 20:1–16), the father who welcomes home his wayward son (Luke 15:11–32), and Jesus’ call to forgive “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21–35). None of these diminish accountability, he noted; rather, they reveal a mercy that heals relationships and repairs harm.

Quoting the Catechism, the Pope located justice first in the heart: a “firm and stable attitude” (CCC 1804) and the “constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor” (CCC 1807). From that interior posture flows an exterior commitment: defending the weak, ensuring access to justice, and building social structures that recognize the equal dignity of all.

He warned that “formal equality” before the law, while essential, is not enough. True equality means real opportunities—so that rights are not theoretical but livable. The stakes are global: too many nations “hunger and thirst for justice” amid inequitable and inhuman conditions. Here he cited Saint Augustine’s stark verdict that a state without true justice “is not a state,” and that authentic justice must be joined to prudence, fortitude, and temperance.

The Pope also spoke directly to contemporary fault lines: disregard for human life “from its very beginning,” denial of basic rights, and the erosion of conscience—where freedoms find their source. In this climate, he urged those in public service to interpret the law “beyond its purely formal dimension,” seeking the deeper truth it serves.

For Christians and seekers alike, the homing beacon is the Beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). That hunger, he said, demands personal effort, constant attentiveness, and “radical selflessness.” Justice must punish evil—but it must also repair it.

The Jubilee’s spiritual takeaway is practical: justice is a vocation. It asks for clean hands and courageous hearts, fidelity to the law and reverence for the person. Whether in a courtroom, a classroom, or a cabinet meeting, the measure is the same: give each their due, guard the vulnerable, and let mercy guide what mere procedure cannot heal.

Concluding, Pope Leo XIV thanked participants, blessed their families and work, and invited all to seek the “greater justice” that satisfies our deepest thirst.

https://aleteia.org/2025/09/22/at-jubilee-pope-leo-xiv-calls-justice-a-vocation/