‘Be opened’: Pope Leo addresses digital fatigue in call to reconnect with Christ and each other

At his July 30 General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV concluded his catechetical series on the public ministry of Jesus with a meditation on healing, human connection, and the power of divine intimacy in a disconnected world. 

Drawing from Mark 7:31–37, the Holy Father offered a poignant reflection on Jesus’ healing of a deaf and mute man whose condition mirrors a contemporary spiritual ailment.

In an age marked by hyperconnectivity yet deep emotional isolation, Pope Leo lamented a “‘bulimia’ of social media connections” that overloads individuals with conflicting and often distorted information. This flood of content, he said, stirs up “a storm of contradictory emotions” and tempts people to retreat into silence, closing themselves off from meaningful communication and vulnerable relationships.

Against this backdrop, the Pope found relevance in the Gospel account of a man unable to hear or speak, suggesting he may have chosen “not to speak anymore because he did not feel understood.” 

The man doesn’t approach Jesus on his own — others bring him. This, Pope Leo said, reflects the Church’s role: a community that brings the wounded to Christ, not in condemnation, but with compassion.

“Jesus’ behavior may initially seem strange, because He takes this person aside (v. 33a). In this way, He seems to emphasize his isolation, but on closer look, it helps us to understand what lies behind the silence and closure of this man, as if Jesus had perceived his need for intimacy and closeness.” 

Jesus touches the man’s ears and tongue, and with a single word—“Ephphatha,” or “Be opened”—he heals not just his senses, but perhaps his heart as well, the Pope noted.

Pope Leo emphasized the personal nature of this encounter. Jesus doesn’t deliver a grand discourse or miracle from afar; instead, He shows that healing begins with closeness. 

“Jesus offers silent closeness,” the Pope said. “He touches, He enters into the pain.”

The Pope linked this Gospel to broader challenges today: emotional numbness, misunderstood words, and the loneliness of modern life. 

“We may come to prefer not to feel anything anymore,” he said. “Even our words risk being misunderstood, and we may be tempted to close ourselves in silence, into a lack of communication where, despite our closeness, we are no longer able to say to one another the most simple and profound things.

Referring to the blind man Jesus healed, the Pope said it’s as if Jesus is saying, “‘Be opened to this world that frightens you! Be opened to the relationships that have disappointed you! Be opened to the life you have given up facing!’ Closing in on oneself, in fact, is never a solution.”

But this healing, the Pope reminded the faithful, is not the end but the beginning of discipleship. Jesus tells the man not to proclaim what happened — a reminder that true understanding of Christ only comes through journeying with Him, especially through the Cross. “There are no shortcuts,” the Pope said, “to becoming disciples of Jesus.”

At the end of the audience, Pope Leo renewed his appeal following the July 27 terrorist attack in Komanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where more than 40 Christians were killed. Calling the attack “brutal,” the Pope entrusted the victims to God’s mercy and called on international leaders to act decisively to prevent such violence.

He also marked the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, underscoring its legacy of promoting religious freedom and dialogue during the Cold War. 

“Today, more than ever,” he said, “it is essential to safeguard the spirit of Helsinki: to persevere in dialogue, strengthen cooperation, and make diplomacy the preferred path to prevent and resolve conflicts.”

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