Pope Leo calls for the Church to be an ‘open house’ with no ‘judging’

“May your Church be an open house, a safe space where everyone has a place — a community that accompanies and never excludes; that listens without judging; and that draws near without fear,” Leo said in his prayer video for October 2026.

Leo’s prayer intentions are dedicated this month to those who suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses.

Christ Jesus and His Church indeed desire the healing of those who suffer from mental illness, and the Church is open to receiving anyone into her communion, provided they sincerely intend to live out the Catholic faith.

Leo’s prayer that the Church “listens without judging,” however, suggests or may easily be interpreted to suggest that the Church refrains from judging objective matters of sin. Rather, the Church in her charity defines situations in which sin, and especially mortal sin has been committed, so that the sinner may repent and be reconciled with God.

The prayer is reminiscent of Pope Francis’ repeated exhortations not to “judge.” He most famously said in 2013, regarding gay priests, “Who am I to judge?” In 2024, he urged people to remember Jesus Christ’s commandment to “never judge.”

Catholics cannot judge the subjective culpability of sinners, but Francis’ remark “Who am I to judge?” was widely interpreted by the mainstream media to mean that there is nothing wrong with homosexual behavior. This suggests similar statements from the pope that we should not “judge” will evoke similar interpretations.