10 Things Pope Leo XIV Wants You to Know
Liguori Publications
ISBN 9780764828980
eISBN 9780764872785
ASIN B0F9ZS6L4J
From the day of his election I have been looking for books by and about Pope Leo XIV. When I encountered this work I was very excited because I had only recently read 10 Things Pope Benedict Wants You to Know, which I absolutely loved. I was excited to get the eBook of this the day it released.
The descriptions of the book is:
“A new era begins for the Church with Pope Leo XIV--Augustinian friar, missionary for distant lands, bishop among the poor, prefect entrusted with appointing pastors throughout the world, and now successor to Peter. Above all, Leo XIV has proven to be a tireless seeker of Truth. His vocation was born of that restlessness of heart to which Saint Augustine gave expression: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you." In the Augustinian spirit, Leo XIV has trusted the power of the gospel to shape his style: humble yet firm, quiet yet courageous. His path has been marked by service, listening, and quiet fidelity--a shepherd who walks with seekers, unafraid of their questions, patient in accompaniment.
So, what does Pope Leo XIV want us to know in order to live the gospel more faithfully? How can we ensure that Christ remains the center of our lives? Leo XIV invites us to live a faith that is alive and open to the world. The following pages explore ten themes inspired by his first Urbi et Orbi blessing as Peter's successor, given on May 8, 2025. Here we're invited to embrace a posture of listening from one who has made that his life's work.”
The chapters in this volume are:
Introduction A New Chapter for the Church
1. Seek God With a Restless Heart
2. Be Artisans of Peace
3. God Loves Us Unconditionally
4. Evil Will Not Prevail
5. Jesus the Good Shepherd
6. To Be Missionaries
7. We Want to Be a Synodal Church
8. A United Church
9. A Church That Builds Bridges
10. Mary Walks With Us
A Pontificate with Roots and a Future
I highlighted several passages while working through this volume, some of them are:
“The election of Pope Leo XIV marks a significant turning point in the life of the Church. At a time when the world is grappling with division, disillusionment, and rapid change, the Holy Spirit has raised up a shepherd whose life story is quietly revolutionary—marked not by power or prestige but by simplicity, community, and tireless service.”
“Instead, there was a quiet reverence, a humble gaze, and a message that was deeply intentional. “Peace be with you,” he said—echoing the first words of the risen Christ. And with those words, a tone was set for his entire pontificate: one of peace, humility, fraternity, and mission.”
“The ten themes in this booklet are drawn directly from profound reflections on the first days of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. They are not abstract theological statements, nor are they policy points. They are the fruit of a life rooted in prayer, community, and love for the gospel. They are the compass points of a Church that dares to dream again—of peace, unity, dialogue, and shared discipleship.”
“As you read these ten themes, allow them to challenge, comfort, and inspire. Because in Leo XIV, the Church has not just found a pope—it has found a fellow pilgrim. One who reminds us, gently but firmly, that the journey of faith is not one we walk alone, but together. In the one Christ, we are one.”
“As an Augustinian, Leo XIV does not seek God in abstract doctrines but in lived relationships. He believes that the Christian cannot claim to follow Christ without belonging to the Church.”
“What distinguishes Pope Leo’s restlessness is that it does not seek answers for the sake of certainty but for the sake of love. It is a restlessness that pushes the Church beyond complacency and into deeper intimacy with God and solidarity with others. It is not about intellectual control but about humble openness.”
“To seek God with a restless heart is to live with longing, humility, and hope. It means refusing to settle for mediocrity and choosing instead the path of inner transformation and outward service. This is the journey Pope Leo invites us to take with him—not toward comfort but toward communion.”
“Pope Leo XIV knew exactly what he was doing. He was inviting the Church—and the world—into the heart of Christ’s message: peace, not as comfort but as a calling.”
“He invited people to rediscover fraternity as the pathway to peace, and listening as the method by which that peace is built. To speak of peace, he said, is to speak of transformation, reconciliation, and justice woven into daily life.”
“Peace is built not by policy alone but by the daily conversion of hearts. By seeking the suffering, welcoming the excluded, and healing the wounded, the Church becomes the living instrument of Christ’s peace.”
“God does not wait for us to be good before he loves us. He loves us into goodness. He embraces us while we are still far off. His love is freely given, faithful, and unconditional.”
“The Church must not merely teach doctrine; it must communicate beauty. People are drawn not by obligation, but by attraction—by the radiant joy of knowing they are loved and welcomed by God.”
“The Christian life, he insists, is not an insurance policy for suffering but a mission born from love. To know we are loved is to be sent. The gospel is not preserved; it is proclaimed through lives that radiate this love.”
“The phrase “do not be afraid,” repeated often by Christ and echoed by Pope John Paul II, is central to Leo XIV’s message. He repeats it now—not as a slogan but as an invitation. “Do not be afraid,” he says to young people discerning their vocations, to families burdened by uncertainty, to communities facing persecution. God is with us. He never abandons his people.”
“The bishop, he says, must walk in three places: ahead to lead, among to accompany, and behind to gather the weak. This is not his theory—this is his witness.”
“The Church of the twenty-first century cannot afford to work in silos or speak from pedestals. It must work—and walk—together, with the Spirit at the center. That is how the Church becomes what it is meant to be: a people on pilgrimage, united not by uniformity but by love.”
“And so, he invites us—bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople—to walk with him. Not behind him. With him. As a united Church. Rooted in Christ. Open to one another. Sent forth to the world as a sign of healing and hope.”
“To build bridges is not to compromise truth. On the contrary, it is to allow truth to do what it was always meant to do: bring people together. Pope Leo insists that the gospel cannot be preached in a spirit of antagonism. Truth is not a weapon—it is a gift. And the Christian does not impose it; he proposes it, shares it, lives it.”
“This is not easy work. Bridge-building requires humility, patience, and the willingness to be misunderstood. But it is the most urgent task of the Church in a divided world. Pope Leo XIV calls the Church to be what it truly is: a sign of God’s desire to draw all people to himself, across every divide. And he calls each of us to take up the mission—not with fear, but with open hearts.”
“Mary is not just a figure in the background of the Church’s story—she walks with us. For Pope Leo XIV, Mary is not distant, idealized, or inaccessible. She is close. She is Mother.”
“This Marian style is what Pope Leo desires for the Church: a community that discerns, listens, walks together, and remains close to the suffering.”
“To entrust ourselves to Mary, he says, is not to escape reality—it is to enter it with grace. In her presence, we find room to breathe, space to trust, and strength to begin again. And so, Pope Leo XIV places his pontificate under her mantle—not as ornament, but as protection. Not as symbol, but as direction.
Mary walks with us. And where she walks, Christ is never far.”
“In these opening days of his papacy, the themes that have already surfaced reveal the contours of a Church that is both rooted and forward-looking. From his first message—“Peace be with you”—to his firm assurance that “Evil will not prevail,” to his quiet gesture of entrusting everything to Mary, Leo XIV has begun his mission not with force, but with faith. A faith shaped by the dusty roads of northern Peru, by the spiritual discipline of Augustinian community life, and by years of listening, discerning, and accompanying. This is a pope who embodies what he preaches. He is not a distant theologian or a detached bureaucrat. He is a shepherd who has walked among his people, who knows what it means to lead with tears, to celebrate with the poor, and to break bread with those at the margins. His authority is not built on image or strategy, but on experience—deeply human, deeply spiritual.”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. It is a good little read an primer on the thought and teachings of Pope Leo XIV as extrapolated from his first weeks in office. This volume was a good little volume and easy to engage with. It is a good little primer on Pope Leo XIV. And an excerpt of a longer volume that is publishing soon, I have seen two titles for that work: Pope Leo XIV: Restless Heart, Faithful Shepherd and Pope Leo XIV: In My Own Words. A good work to start with.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books about Pope Leo XIV:
LEO XIV: Portrait of the First American Pope - Matthew Bunson
Pope Leo XIV Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy - Christopher White
Books By Pope Leo XVI:
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Rerum Novarum: Encyclical Letter Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour - Pope Leo XIII - CTS Books
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