Overview

• Thousands of families from 131 countries filled St. Peter’s Square for the pontiff’s inaugural Jubilee mass under intense early summer heat
• He affirmed marriage between a man and a woman as the “model of true love,” citing the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae to underscore fidelity and fruitfulness
• The pope criticized invoking freedom to end life as a profound betrayal of humanity and urged care over harm
• He held up sainted couples such as Luis and Celia Martin as exemplars of marital strength and divine love
• Before the homily he blessed children and elders from the papamóvil and later invoked the Virgin’s intercession for families suffering in war-torn regions