As journalists gathered outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo last night, Pope Leo XIV paused to speak about global tensions, interreligious concerns in light of the trip he begins tomorrow, and the hopes he carries into this uncertain moment. Yet amid questions on Ukraine, the distant prospect of peace in the Middle East, and violence against women, the Pope offered a reflection on something simpler yet most needed: gratitude.
Asked about the American celebration of Thanksgiving, he highlighted its unusual power to bring people together — believers and non-believers alike.
“This is a feast that we have in the US that unites all people,” he said, “people of different faiths, people who perhaps do not have the gift of faith, to say ‘thank you’ to someone, to recognize that we all have received so many gifts.”
His answer on Thanksgiving (in English) starts just before the 3:30 mark in video below.
For a pontiff often called to comment on war and division, his words on gratitude carried a different kind of weight. He spoke of the gift of life, the gift of faith, and the gift of unity — not as abstract ideals, but as realities that can help societies learn to mend what has been torn. Thanksgiving, in his telling, becomes a cultural space where gratitude softens anxieties and makes room for peace.
"Say thank you to someone" this holiday, he encouraged.
Gratitude has power
Pope Leo has repeatedly emphasized that peace does not begin in diplomatic halls but in the “formation of younger generations,” a point he reiterated earlier in the evening. Gratitude, then, is not merely personal etiquette; it is a practice that shapes communities.
The Pope extended its reach, inviting even those without religious belief to rediscover its power. Gratitude expands the heart, he suggested, and an expanded heart leaves less room for hostility.
American Catholics often associate Thanksgiving with family tables, seasonal rituals, and the hopeful chaos of travel. But the Pope’s comments offer a broader view — one that speaks as easily to secular listeners as to those steeped in liturgical life. Gratitude, after all, does not require theological training. Anyone can pause to acknowledge a kindness, a friendship, a chance to begin again. In a world strained by conflict, the simple act of saying “thank you” becomes surprisingly brave.
Pope Leo’s brief remarks connected this spirit of gratitude with the longing for unity among Christians, another theme raised by reporters. Unity, like peace, cannot be forced; it has to grow in the soil of humility and mutual appreciation. Thanksgiving provides one such patch of common ground, at least for a day, and the Pope seemed keen to encourage that instinct wherever it appears.
As he prepared to depart from his weekly day of rest at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo returned once more to the heart of his message: encouraging all people — across cultures, traditions, and beliefs—to “promote peace and harmony and to give thanks to God for his many gifts.” His words were simple, but simplicity has its own clarity.
