Pope Leo Prays at Tomb of St Paul, Reflects on Grace and Apostolic Mission

ROME, May 21, 2025 — Pope Leo XIV visited the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on Tuesday afternoon, where he prayed at the tomb of the Apostle Paul and led a brief prayer service attended by clergy and pilgrims. The Pope used the occasion to reflect on the themes of grace, faith, and justification—central elements of St Paul’s call to conversion—and their relevance to his own ministry as the Successor of Peter.

During his homily, Pope Leo drew from St Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Touching first upon the element of grace, he stated that “Paul encountered Christ only because Christ reached out to him first.” The pope described this holy encounter as “the fruit of God’s prior love”. He also cited St Augustine’s insight: “How can we choose unless we have first been chosen? We cannot love unless someone has loved us first”. "We cannot lead good lives without God's help," the Pope said, and this reality is “at the root of every vocation”.

The Pope then turned to the role of faith in St Paul’s account of his calling. He noted that Paul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus was not coercive but invitational. “Salvation does not come about by magic,” Pope Leo explained, “but by a mysterious interplay of grace and faith, of God’s prevenient love and of our trusting and free acceptance.”

Reflecting on justification, Pope Leo said that this was the final aspect of Paul’s calling – a call to grow in holiness. He noted that The Acts of the Apostles describes how, after his vision of Jesus, Paul ceased persecuting Christians and began working alongside them. The Pope urged his listeners to “compete” in showing this kind of love, which led St Paul to give himself so wholly to others that he was eventually martyred.

Concluding his remarks, Pope Leo quoted Pope Benedict XVI: “God loves us. This is the great truth of our life; it is what makes everything else meaningful.” He affirmed this truth as the foundation of his own mission as pope and prayed, “May the Lord grant me the grace to respond faithfully to His call.”

The Pope’s visit to St Paul’s tomb continues a long-standing papal tradition and underscores his commitment to apostolic renewal and pastoral humility as he begins his pontificate.

By Joseph Tulloch

Courtesy: Vatican News