Pope Leo XIV’s Address to CHARIS (30 May 2026) – Using Five Popes and Saint Augustine to Back and Encourage the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Summarized by Archbishop Thomas Schirrmacher
1. References to Previous Popes
Pope Leo XIV deliberately presents his address as a continuation of the consistent papal support for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
Saint Paul VI (1975)
Leo XIV recalls that Paul VI regarded the Catholic Charismatic Renewal as a providential gift for the Church. He quotes Paul VI’s conviction that:
“Nothing is more necessary for such an increasingly secularized world than the witness of this spiritual renewal, which the Holy Spirit is inspiring in the most diverse regions and communities.”
Saint John Paul II (1991)
Leo XIV recalls John Paul II’s strong missionary emphasis. He cites two statements to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal:
“It is the Spirit himself who impels you to bear witness.”
and
“How can anyone who has tasted the goodness of Christ remain silent and inactive? … Christ is our Savior … How can we fail to evangelize? Continue to communicate this zeal for the Gospel to those around you!”
Pope Benedict XVI (2008)
Leo XIV quotes Benedict XVI’s appreciation of the movement’s theological contribution, quoting Benedict:
“One of the positive elements and aspects of the Community of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is precisely their emphasis on the charisms or gifts of the Holy Spirit and their merit lies in having recalled their topicality in the Church.”
Pope Francis
Leo XIV recalls several characteristic expressions of Francis. First, Francis repeatedly described the Renewal as
“a flood of grace”,
and insisted that this grace
“is for the whole Church, not just for some.”
Leo XIV then summarizes Francis’ four pastoral vision for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal:
“Evangelization, spiritual ecumenism, caring for the poor and needy, and welcoming the marginalized.”
Francis concluded:
“All of it is based on worship! The foundation of the renewal is worshiping God!”
Pope Leo XIII
Although writing decades before the Charismatic Renewal existed, Leo XIV also recalls Pope Leo XIII. He notes that Leo XIII encouraged Catholics to pray annually for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit by making a novena between Ascension and Pentecost, particularly for Christian unity. Leo XIV presents this as an important historical anticipation of today’s charismatic spirituality.
2. References to Saint Augustine
As an Augustinian himself, Pope Leo XIV structures much of his own theological reflection around Augustine.
A. Augustine about Conversion and “Baptism in the Spirit”
Discussing the experience commonly called “baptism in the Spirit,” Leo XIV compares it to Augustine’s conversion. He quotes Confessions IX:
“O Christ Jesus, my helper and redeemer … What I once feared to lose was now a delight to dismiss. You turned them out and entered to take their place, pleasanter than any pleasure.”
Leo explains that the experience of the Holy Spirit similarly transforms believers:
- God becomes a living Father rather than merely an idea.
- The Spirit brings reconciliation, peace, freedom from sin, hope, missionary zeal.
Thus the charismatic experience is interpreted through Augustine’s own experience of conversion.
B. Augustine about Communion
When discussing Christian unity, Leo XIV quotes Augustine’s De Trinitate. The Holy Spirit is
“a certain unutterable communion of the Father and the Son.”
From this Leo concludes that the Spirit naturally creates unity, harmony, communion among different charisms, ecumenical openness toward other Christians.
C. Augustine about Charity
Leo XIV again turns to De Trinitate. He quotes Augustine:
“The Holy Spirit, who is himself love, has been given to man and inflames him to the love of God and neighbor.”
From this he derives the practical mission of the Charismatic Renewal:
- love of God,
- love of neighbour,
- compassion,
- works of mercy,
- special concern for the poor.