Pope Leo Says the Word of God Guides the Church Through History
During his Wednesday General Audience on January 28, Pope Leo XIV continued his catechetical reflection on the Second Vatican Council, focusing once again on the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum and its teaching on Divine Revelation. Addressing the faithful gathered in the Vatican, the Pope described the Word of God as a living guide for Christian existence and for the Church’s journey through history. He said that the Word entrusted to the Church is not a static inheritance but a reality that must be preserved with care and integrity by all who serve within the ecclesial community. According to the Pope, this responsibility belongs not only to Church authorities but to all believers, each according to their vocation, as they navigate the complexity of modern life. The Word of God, he explained, remains a stable point of reference that illuminates personal faith, communal life, and the Church’s mission in a changing world.
Pope Leo placed particular emphasis on the close and inseparable relationship between Sacred Scripture and Tradition, describing them as flowing from the same divine source. He explained that the Word of God is not confined to written texts alone but is transmitted through the living Tradition of the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Far from being fixed in the past, the Word continues to grow and unfold as it is received, interpreted, and lived within the believing community. The Pope recalled how Dei Verbum presents this dynamic process as one that allows the Church to understand the fullness of revealed truth more deeply over time, while remaining faithful to its original meaning. In this sense, Tradition enables the Word to be embodied within different historical and cultural contexts without losing its substance.
To illustrate this unity, the Pope referred to key Gospel moments that reveal how Christ entrusted his message to the Church. He recalled Jesus’ promise in the Upper Room that the Holy Spirit would guide the disciples into all truth, as well as the mandate given after the Resurrection to teach all nations what Christ had commanded. These passages, he said, show how the Word spoken by Christ continues to be proclaimed throughout the centuries. Citing Dei Verbum, Pope Leo noted that Scripture and Tradition together form a single sacred deposit entrusted to the Church, which preserves, interprets, and transmits it across generations. He added that this transmission occurs not only through formal teaching, but also through the Church’s worship, spiritual life, and lived witness of faith.
Concluding his catechesis, Pope Leo reflected on the meaning of the Church’s role as guardian of this sacred deposit. He explained that safeguarding the Word of God involves faithfully handing on the content of the faith without distortion, while allowing it to speak anew to each generation. Drawing on theological reflection, he described Christianity as a living reality that develops from within, much like a seed growing according to its own inner vitality. Scripture and Tradition, he said, cannot exist in isolation from one another, since both work together under the action of the Holy Spirit for the salvation of souls. The Pope encouraged the faithful to rediscover the Word of God as a living presence that shapes belief, prayer, and daily life within the Church.
