To know God, we must welcome Jesus’ humanity, pope says January 21, 2026By Josephine Peterson Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV said that God is revealed through Jesus’ humanity, not solely through a “channel of transmission of intellectual truths.” It is through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection that one can come to know God. Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims and visitors as he enters the Paul VI Audience Hall for his weekly general audience at the Vatican Jan. 21, 2026. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) Pope Leo continued his series of talks during his weekly general audience Jan. 21, revisiting Vatican Council II with a speech on “Dei Verbum,” the church’s teaching on divine revelation. By knowing Jesus, the pope said we can enter into a relationship with God as his adopted children, which was revealed through Jesus’ humanity. “In order to know God in Christ, we must welcome his integral humanity: God’s truth is not fully revealed where it takes something away from the human, just as the integrity of Jesus’ humanity does not diminish the fullness of the divine gift,” he said. “It is the integral humanity of Jesus that tells us the truth of the Father.” He went on further to say that in becoming man, Jesus “is born, heals, teaches, suffers, dies, rises again and remains among us. Therefore, to honor the greatness of the incarnation, it is not enough to consider Jesus as the channel of transmission of intellectual truths.” God communicates with us, the pope said, and at the same time, Jesus is the Word of God incarnate. Through this corporal form, the truth of God is revealed. “Jesus Christ is the place where we recognize the truth of God the Father, while we discover ourselves known by him as sons in the Son, called to the same destiny of full life,” he said. In closing, Pope Leo said, “Brothers and sisters, by following the path of Jesus to the very end, we reach the certainty that nothing can separate us from God’s love.” Read More Vatican News Universal health care a ‘moral imperative,’ Vatican’s top diplomat tells UN Pope’s communications day theme targets pitfalls of the ‘attention economy’ Pope Leo XIV says he’s not losing sleep over AI apocalypse fears Vatican’s top diplomat pushes 2-state solution, ‘limits’ on AI at UN General Assembly Wrapping up France visit, Pope Leo calls on Europe to choose reconciliation over division At Lourdes, a refuge for the ill, Pope Leo stands against assisted dying laws Copyright © 2026 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Print
