Pope Leo XIV’s Urgent Warning: 10 Things Catholics Are Doing Wrong

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, receive this solemn greeting and blessing that flows from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In these troubled times, I invite you to step into the quiet of your heart, where God waits with a patience deeper than any silence.

I speak today out of love for the Church and concern for her children.

I cannot remain silent while the soul of our age is tested, shaken, and threatened by confusion both outside and within.

We are living through a profound moral crisis.

What was once held sacred is now dismissed.

What was once recognized as dangerous is now polished and praised as freedom.

The Church faces not only external attacks, but also internal weariness, indifference, and numbness to holiness.

Many hearts have lost the fire God once ignited in them.

I call you to return to the truth.

Truth is not always comfortable, but it alone frees the soul.

May God grant us grace to see clearly, listen humbly, and allow His word to pierce what has long been hidden.

May He awaken what has fallen asleep and lift what has collapsed under the world’s weight.

In prayer, the Lord whispered to my spirit both sorrow and urgency: “My Church is falling asleep while sin walks freely among my people.

” This is not condemnation.

It is the cry of a Father whose love refuses to abandon His children.

So many live the faith by habit, not conviction.

Lips recite prayers, but hearts wander.

Bodies enter church, but souls remain untouched.

Faith becomes routine, not a living flame.

There are many who call themselves Catholic in name, but the spirit of Catholic life—humility, obedience, charity—no longer shapes their daily choices.

The title remains, but not the transformation.

I speak not to shame you, but as one who has seen the fragility of the human heart and knows how easily it drifts toward spiritual sleep.

All of us carry wounds we prefer to hide: disappointment, exhaustion, hurts that make spiritual minimalism seem easier than a life anchored in Christ.

Yet even in these hidden places, God does not turn away.

He sees what we suppress, feels our heaviness, knows our emptiness.

Today, He calls us to wake up—not to judgment, but to healing.

Healing begins with truth, and truth begins with courage.

Look honestly at our spiritual condition.

The heart grows tired, senses grow dull, the sacred becomes familiar in the most dangerous way.

Faith that once moved mountains becomes mere motions.

The flame becomes a dim spark beneath the ashes of routine.

Many come to worship, but their hearts arrive empty.

Minds distracted, souls untouched by mystery.

They stand before the living God, yet feel nothing, expect nothing, offer nothing.

This is the quiet erosion of holiness.

It happens slowly, gently, until the soul awakens one day and finds itself starving.

Prayer becomes duty, not encounter.

Rituals are kept, but the Word of God is resisted.

The form remains, but transformation is refused.

The illusion that belonging to the Church is the same as belonging to Christ is a spiritual danger.

One can stand in God’s house and keep the heart far away.

In every age, the world tries to rename sin.

Pride becomes confidence, impurity becomes freedom, selfishness becomes self-expression.

By changing the name, the world tries to change the nature.

But truth does not bend.

Holiness does not negotiate.

Light does not coexist with shadow.

Sin now wears the mask of virtue, and the assaults on the soul are subtle and constant.

The enemy enters through distraction, glowing screens, noise, habits that form quietly and tighten gradually.

He numbs us, and a numb heart no longer listens or resists.

The Lord calls us to awaken, to recognize the battle within our own hearts.

The greatest spiritual tragedies begin not with rebellion, but with indifference.

Indifference, left unchecked, grows into darkness.

May God give us grace to see what we have ignored and strength to turn toward the light.

The gospel is never abstract.

It seeks a place in our decisions, behaviors, and the hidden corners of daily life.

The time has come not only to understand the truth, but to live it.

At the heart of this message is a clear, urgent proclamation: ten things every child of the Church must stop immediately to reclaim holiness.

These are not judgments, but mirrors held up to the soul.

First, stop spiritual indifference.

Lukewarmness is the quiet death of the soul.

God asks for a heart of flame.

Second, stop speaking ill of others.

Gossip and slander wound the Body of Christ.

Third, stop neglecting the Holy Eucharist.

To treat the Eucharist lightly is to treat Christ lightly.

Fourth, stop living double lives.

Hidden sins corrode the soul.

Fifth, stop abandoning prayer.

When prayer dies, faith dies.

Sixth, stop pursuing the glamour of the world—success, wealth, admiration cannot satisfy the soul.

Seventh, stop judging others.

Judgment belongs to God alone.

Eighth, stop receiving communion in a state of sin.

The Eucharist demands a holy heart.

Ninth, stop compromising with sin.

A divided soul is vulnerable.

Tenth, stop being indifferent to the poor and suffering.

Indifference to human suffering is a grave sin.

These ten calls are doorways to freedom—from chains we pretend not to see, from habits that consume the soul, from emptiness that grows when God is forgotten.

If we stop what destroys us, we can begin what heals us.

A true warning is an act of love.

A father warns because danger is near.

The consequences of spiritual neglect are painfully clear: where charity weakens, division grows; where prayer disappears, confusion rises; where sin is tolerated, the soul loses truth.

Indifference becomes habit, habit becomes blindness, blindness becomes ruin.

Faith cannot survive on the margins, added when convenient and set aside when demanding.

Spiritual apathy costs more than we imagine.

Yet God’s mercy is greater.

He never reveals a wound without preparing healing.

He never exposes darkness without offering light.

So I present a sacred pathway of renewal: ten steps of spiritual rebirth.

First, true repentance—not sorrow for consequences, but sorrow for wounding the One who loves us.

Second, frequent confession—the sacrament is a hospital, not a courtroom.

Third, daily prayer—a soul that prays grows sensitive to God’s voice.

Fourth, adoration of the Eucharist—before Christ, the heart learns silence and humility.

Fifth, reading and meditating on scripture—the Word is a lamp, sword, compass, and mirror.

Sixth, concrete acts of charity—love made visible in action.

Seventh, complete forgiveness—freeing the wounded from bondage.

Eighth, discipline of the senses—eyes, ears, tongue guided by grace.

Ninth, a grateful heart—gratitude transforms everything.

Tenth, trust in Divine Mercy—God’s love is greater than every sin and weakness.

These are not burdens, but invitations from Christ.

Once the journey of return begins, perseverance is needed.

Conversion is a way of life, requiring protection.

The enemy seeks openings to reclaim lost ground.

So I offer ten spiritual shields—ten graces that safeguard the renewed heart.

First, interior vigilance—watching over thoughts and desires.

Second, consistent discipline—holiness is strengthened by rhythm.

Third, companionship in the Church—no Christian walks safely alone.

Fourth, closeness to the Blessed Mother—her intercession guards hearts.

Fifth, fasting and sacrifice—self-denial purifies desires.

Sixth, deep humility—humility attracts grace and repels pride.

Seventh, spiritual reading—holy books nourish truth.

Eighth, holy silence—silence lets God speak.

Ninth, reverence for the Eucharist—adoration shapes interior life.

Tenth, perseverance—faithfulness in all seasons.

When these shields are embraced, the Lord pours out gifts: peace of conscience, spiritual strength, lasting joy, clarity, healing, angelic protection, answered prayers, restored relationships, discovery of vocation, and the living experience of God’s presence.

These are gifts for the willing, not the perfect.

As we reach the close of this reflection, look honestly at the world around and within.

We are living in a time like the great crises of the Old Testament, when God’s people forgot who they were.

The greatest danger is not external threats, but the silent cooling of the Christian heart.

When devotion fades, the gospel’s beauty is overshadowed by comfort and illusion.

Yet even in darkness, God’s mercy is near.

The Blessed Mother pleads for her children to return through the Rosary, to stand firm, and resist the tide of indifference.

The decisive hour is approaching—a moment not of fear, but of truth.

Will you remain lukewarm, or stand fully with Christ?

I call upon the entire Church: return to the sacraments.

Make homes places of prayer.

Let forgiveness heal relationships.

Let charity shape actions.

Let Christ be visible in speech, work, and love.

The world needs light, and that light begins with you.

Entrust yourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Ask for grace to remain faithful, courageous, and at peace.

May God bless you and keep you.

May His light guide your steps and His mercy surround you always.

May the peace of Christ remain with you now and forever.

Amen.