Pope Leo XIV: Cultivate charity to heal our divisions

Pope Leo XIV emphasized the need for charity to heal societal divisions and uphold human dignity.

The pontiff held a private audience on Monday with the Sisters of Charity of St. Jeanne-Antide Thouret, an international community of nuns founded after the French Revolution. The community, dedicated to serving the poor, is also marking the 200th anniversary of Thouret’s death this year.

In his address , Leo praised Thouret for establishing the community and encouraged others to continue her legacy of charity to promote human dignity.

“In this regard, I would like to emphasize another important aspect of the charismatic legacy left to you by your saintly Foundress: to pay attention to the integral good, spiritual and temporal, of one’s neighbor,” Leo said.

Pope Leo XIV greets a member of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret after his private audience with the community at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on Oct. 26, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

“I mention this because, in a society such as ours, which tends to fragment the person, dividing people not only from one another but also, and more gravely, within themselves, this dimension of charity is…