Pope Leo XIV addresses human community and social justice in address on Gaudium et spes

Pope Leo XIV delivered a general audience address on September 16, 2026, focusing on the Second Vatican Council document Gaudium et spes. The speech specifically examined paragraphs 23 through 32 of the document, which discuss the human community. The Pope opened by welcoming the faithful and introducing the theme of the increasing interrelationships among people as a primary aspect of the modern world. He emphasized that these relationships must be realized in a deeper community of persons, which requires the full mutual respect of human spiritual dignity. The Pope noted that this respect is increasingly urgent in the modern era. He observed that while technological development, the spread of mass and social media, and the expansion of artificial intelligence use are opening new possibilities and removing barriers and distances, human relationships are becoming more impersonal and virtual. He warned of the risk that decisions belonging solely to human conscience are being habitually delegated to algorithms. The Pope stated that the Christian community aims to contribute to giving social relationships a realistic substance and deep personhood. The address called for drawing criteria and strength from the plan of God the Creator. The Pope cited the document's assertion that God desires all people to form one family and treat one another in a spirit of brotherhood. He affirmed that love of God and neighbor is the first and greatest commandment, fully revealed and realized in Christ.

The Pope stressed that the perfection of the person and the development of society are closely related and must not be opposed or separated, as doing so renders both meaningless. He quoted the document's declaration that the person, by nature, can never lack social life and is the origin, subject, and end of all social institutions. The speech addressed the diversity of individuals and peoples in the world, describing it not as a danger or threat but as a possibility for richness and growth. The Pope identified conflict, which sometimes worsens violence, as a result of the power of sin, bringing conditions of thought and action that lead to destruction and death at all levels. He called for opening the heart to a logic of mutual help, sharing, and care, similar to the different parts of the human body. The Pope provided a definition of the common good as the sum of social conditions that allow both the group and its individual members to achieve self-perfection more richly and easily. He noted that the document recognizes the interdependence of peoples, stating that each group must consider the needs and legitimate claims of other groups and the common good of the whole human family. The address outlined practical and urgent conclusions from the document. The first conclusion is the respect for the human person. The Pope listed actions that are contrary to life and human dignity, including all forms of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, and voluntary suicide.

He also cited actions that damage human dignity, such as injury, physical and mental torture, psychological coercion, subhuman living conditions, unlawful imprisonment, forced transfer, slave labor, prostitution, and the trafficking of women and minors. He condemned labor conditions that treat workers as mere means of profit rather than as free and responsible persons. The second conclusion is the necessity to respect and love those who are hostile or hold different opinions and actions. The third conclusion is the essential equality of all persons, which requires social justice. The Pope stated that all discrimination regarding basic human rights, whether social, cultural, or based on sex, race, skin color, status, language, or religion, is contrary to God's intention and must be overcome and excluded. Finally, the Pope encouraged overcoming individualistic thinking and adopting an attitude based on responsibility and participation. He described the vision of humanity as a community of persons as a valuable legacy of the Second Vatican Council. This legacy helps individuals and communities responsibly evaluate modern social and political plans based on the dignity of the person, social justice, and free participation in building the common good. The Pope concluded by stating that the future of humanity depends on the effort of each person to cooperate with God and brothers and sisters to build a more human world.