At the Regina Caeli, the Pope urged everyone to invoke the Holy Spirit, who opens the doors to faith and encourages the Church to be “welcoming and hospitable to all.” And may the Holy Spirit help us overcome “resistance, selfishness, mistrust, and prejudice,” allowing fraternity to flourish.
“What doors does the Spirit open?” is the question posed by Pope Leo XIV in today’s catechesis for the Regina Caeli on May 24, in his final Regina Caeli of 2026. In a warm and bright Saint Peter’s Square, the Pope invited the faithful to contemplate “the gift of the Holy Spirit, which was poured out in abundance upon the early Church and is bestowed anew upon its members today, granting us light and strength throughout our everyday circumstances.” He urged everyone to invoke the Holy Spirit and “ask him to open all the doors that are still closed.”
“We need to rediscover God as the Father who loves us, so that we can form a Church where everyone feels at home, and build a fraternal world where peace reigns among all peoples.”
Encounter with true faith
The Pope pointed to three “doors” that must be opened, recalling the account in the Acts of the Apostles that describes the Spirit as a “mighty wind” that opened every door and impelled “the disciples to go out and proclaim the Good News of the risen Christ.” The first door to be opened, Pope Leo XIV said, is that of God Himself, who grants “true faith, helps us understand the meaning of Scripture, reveals himself as our neighbor and allows us to share in his very life.”
“The Holy Spirit helps us to have a personal experience of God, to encounter him in Jesus and not merely in the observance of a law, to recognize him within us, and to discover the signs of his presence in daily life.”
A Church that welcomes
“The second door,” the Pope emphasized, “is that of the Upper Room, that is, of the Church.” The wind of the Spirit sweeps away fears and anxieties “in the face of the world’s challenges,” as well as the inability to engage “with changing times,” so that the Church may become, as Pope Francis often said, a Church with open doors.
“The Spirit opens the doors of the Church so that it can be welcoming and hospitable to all, even to those who have closed their doors on God and neighbour, on hope and the joy of living.”
The language of love
The final door indicated by the Pope is that of the human heart, which must be opened in order for fraternity among peoples to be born.
“The Holy Spirit opens the door of our heart, helping us to overcome resistance, selfishness, mistrust and prejudice, while enabling us to live as children of God and brothers and sisters to one another. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, fraternity is born among individuals, groups and peoples of the Earth, and all speak the same language of love, which unites and brings harmony despite our differences.”
Source: https://www.vaticannews.va/ – Benedetta Capelli
