23/08/2025
Pope: Choose love of God and neighbour for true human flourishing
Pope Leo meets Catholic legislators and urges them to build a world rooted in justice, conscience, and love of God.
By Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday addressed participants in the Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN), gathered in Rome during the Jubilee of Hope.
Welcoming lawmakers and political leaders from across the world, the Pope thanked them for their presence and reflected on the meeting’s chosen theme: “The New World Order: Major Power Politics, Corporate Dominions and the Future of Human Flourishing.”
“In these words,” he said, “I sense both a concern and a longing. We are concerned about the direction our world is taking, and yet, we long for authentic human flourishing, a world where every person can live in peace, freedom and fulfilment according to God’s plan.”
Two cities
Turning to the wisdom of Saint Augustine of Hippo, the Pope recalled how the great Church Father, writing amidst the upheavals of the late Roman Empire, envisioned history as the unfolding of two “cities.”
“This Church Father taught that within human history, two ‘cities’ are intertwined: the City of Man and the City of God. These signify spiritual realities – two orientations of the human heart and, therefore, of human civilisation. The City of Man, built on pride and love of oneself, is marked by the pursuit of power, prestige and pleasure; the City of God, built on love of God unto selflessness, is characterized by justice, charity and humility.”
Authentic human flourishing
Pope Leo emphasised that the vision of a flourishing life is often distorted in today’s world. “Today, a flourishing life is often confused with a materially wealthy life or a life of unrestricted individual autonomy. The so-called ideal future presented to us is often one of technological convenience and consumer satisfaction. Yet we know this is not enough. We see this in affluent societies where many people are struggling with loneliness, despair and a sense of meaninglessness.”
“Authentic human flourishing,” he continued, “stems from what the Church calls integral human development, or the full development of a person in all dimensions: physical, social, cultural, moral, and spiritual. This vision for the human person is rooted in natural law, the moral order that God has written on the human heart, whose deeper truths are illuminated by the Gospel of Christ.”
“It ensures the freedom to seek truth, to worship God and to raise families in peace. It also includes a harmony with creation and a sense of solidarity across social classes and nations. Indeed, the Lord came that we ‘may have life, and have it abundantly’.”
A politics of hope
The Pope stressed that the future of human flourishing is dependent on which 'love' with which we choose to organise our society – “the love of self or the love of God and neighbor.” He argued we all already know the answer. Challenging the lawmakers to see their work as a vocation, Pope Leo reminded them their call to be bridge-builders between the two cities: that of Man and the other of God. “I urge you to work for a world where power is tamed by conscience, and law is at the service of human dignity. I also encourage you to reject the dangerous and self-defeating mind-set that says nothing can ever change.”
However, the Pope recognized that the call will be difficult and they will face challenges. But the grace of God will help them overcome. “My venerable predecessor noted the necessity for a ‘diplomacy of hope’… I would add that we also need a ‘politics of hope’ and an ‘economics of hope,’ anchored in the conviction that even now, through the grace of Christ, we can reflect his light in the earthly city.”
Blessing and encouragement
Concluding his address, Pope Leo expressed gratitude for the legislators’ efforts to bring the Gospel into public life. “Be assured of my prayers for you, your loved ones and those you serve. May the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, bless and guide your efforts for the true flourishing of the human family.
