Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago-born pontiff [[1]], continued a series of teachings on the Second Vatican Council Wednesday, focusing on the crucial document “dei Verbum” and its implications for understanding scripture.In his address, the Pope emphasized the importance of recognizing both the divine and human elements within the Bible, a concept central to contemporary theological interpretation. Alongside his theological instruction, pope Leo XIV also addressed pressing global concerns, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the impending expiration of a key nuclear arms treaty.
Pope Leo XIV addressed the faithful Wednesday morning in Vatican City, continuing a series of teachings on the Second Vatican Council and its key documents. His focus was the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, “Dei Verbum,” or “The Word of God.”
During his general audience, Pope Leo XIV explained that “Dei Verbum” highlights the Bible, when read within the living tradition of the Church, as a unique space for encounter. It’s a place where God continues to speak to people of every age, allowing them to know and love Him through listening. The Pope emphasized that the scriptures were not written in a heavenly or superhuman language, noting that effective communication requires a shared understanding. “Just as in everyday life, two people speaking different languages cannot understand each other, or converse,” he said. “Sometimes, the effort to be understood by the other is the first act of love.”
Because of this, Pope Leo XIV continued, God chose to communicate using human languages. Many authors, inspired by the Holy Spirit, then crafted the biblical texts. He recalled that “Dei Verbum” states, “The words of God, expressed in human language, became similar to human speech, just as once, in times past, the Word of God, eternal, became similar to human beings after taking on the weakness of our human nature.” The scriptures, therefore, demonstrate God’s humility and desire to be close to humanity, not only in content but also in language.
Throughout Church history, the Pope noted, scholars have studied the relationship between the divine author and the human writers of sacred texts. For centuries, theologians focused on defending the divine inspiration of the Bible, sometimes viewing the human authors as mere instruments of the Holy Spirit. More recently, scholarship has re-evaluated the contribution of the biblical authors, leading “Dei Verbum” to describe God as the primary author of scripture, while also calling the authors themselves “true authors.”
Pope Leo XIV stressed that any attempt to understand scripture that ignores either its divine or human dimensions is incomplete. A correct interpretation, he explained, cannot disregard the historical context in which the texts developed or the literary forms they employ. Abandoning the study of the human language used by God, he warned, can lead to rigid readings of the Bible that distort its meaning. This principle also applies to the proclamation of the Word of God; if that proclamation loses touch with reality, with the hopes and sorrows of people, or if it uses language that is incomprehensible or unexpressive, it becomes ineffective. The Church, in every age, is called to present the Word of God in a language capable of being embodied in history and reaching people’s hearts.
He cited Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), which states that “every time we seek to return to the source to reclaim the original freshness of the Gospel, new paths, creative methods, new forms of expression, more evocative signs, words laden with renewed meaning for today’s world, emerge.”
A reading of scripture that neglects its divine origin, Pope Leo XIV cautioned, is also incomplete, reducing it to merely human instruction, something to be studied technically or as a “text of the past.” The Bible, especially when proclaimed within the liturgy, intends to address believers today, touching their lives, illuminating the steps they must take, and the decisions they must make. This is only possible when believers read and interpret the sacred texts guided by the Holy Spirit who inspired them.
In this way, the Pope concluded, scripture nourishes the lives and love of believers. Recalling the words of St. Augustine, he said, “Whoever believes he has understood the scriptures… if he cannot through this understanding build the edifice of this double love, love of God and love of neighbor, he has not yet understood them.” The divine origin of scripture also reminds us that the Gospel, entrusted to the witness of the apostles, encompasses all dimensions of life and reality, and transcends them. It cannot be reduced to a mere human or social message, but is the joyful proclamation of the full and eternal life that God has given us in Jesus.
At the conclusion of his general audience, Pope Leo XIV called for prayers for Ukraine, where people continue to suffer from ongoing bombardment, including recent attacks on energy infrastructure. He expressed gratitude for the solidarity shown by Catholic parishes in Poland and other countries in assisting the population during the harsh winter. The ongoing conflict underscores the humanitarian crisis facing the region.
The Pope also noted that the New START treaty, signed in 2010 between the United States and Russia, which represented a significant step in limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons, will expire tomorrow. He renewed his encouragement of all constructive efforts toward disarmament and mutual trust, urging that the treaty not be abandoned without seeking concrete and effective ways to ensure its continuation. He emphasized that the current situation requires every possible effort to avoid a new arms race that threatens peace among nations, calling for a shift from a logic of fear and distrust to an ethics capable of guiding choices toward the common good, and making peace a legacy that everyone protects.
