Pope Leo XIV has said Saints Peter and Paul show how the Church’s unity is strengthened, rather than weakened, by diversity.

Speaking at the Angelus in St Peter’s Square on Monday, June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the Pope reflected on the two Apostles as patron Saints of Rome and witnesses to the universality of the Church.

He said the feast recalled the bond uniting the Church of Rome with Churches throughout the world “in a communion of faith and charity”.

The Pope told pilgrims gathered in the square that the martyrdom of St Peter and St Paul in Rome had left a lasting seal on the life of the Church, revealing the power of the Gospel to renew the world through service rather than domination.

Pope Leo said the two Apostles were very different in background, upbringing and character, yet both were called by Christ and brought into communion by the Holy Spirit.

“The one Lord did not make them the same,” he said, noting that their distinct voices became part of the Church’s proclamation of the Gospel.

He added that Peter and Paul were “not adversaries”, but instead became signs of the many differences brought together by the one Spirit.

The Pope said their witness helped ensure that the Christian presence in history was directed towards “service, unity and reconciliation”.

Reflecting on the Church’s catholicity, Pope Leo prayed that the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul would help Catholics recognise the value of fostering fraternal encounter between individuals and peoples.

He also urged the Church to avoid whatever damages communion, and to persevere in ecumenical work and in “attentive and honest dialogue with all”.

The Angelus followed the Pope’s morning Mass for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, during which the sacred pallium was blessed for new metropolitan archbishops.

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