Vatican City, 27 October, 2025 — At the Sunday Angelus in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful not to fear admitting their mistakes, using the Gospel parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to illustrate the value of humility and sincerity before God.
Vatican City, 27 October, 2025 — At the Sunday Angelus in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful not to fear admitting their mistakes, using the Gospel parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to illustrate the value of humility and sincerity before God.
“To acknowledge faults, take responsibility and entrust themselves to God’s mercy — for only such humility opens the door to healing and transformation.”
— Pope Leo XIV
The Pope contrasted the Pharisee, who stands proudly in the temple citing his merits, with the tax collector, who humbly confesses his sin: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He said that while the Pharisee’s prayer is “poor in love,” centred on “debts and credits” and devoid of mercy, the tax collector represents the path of honest self-examination and trust in God’s grace.
Pope Leo explained that the tax collector’s courage to present himself honestly before God, despite fear and judgment, is the very reason he “went home justified”. He warned that the Kingdom of God “does not belong to the proud, but to the humble”.
