The Vatican has published, for the first time in English, a collection of Pope Benedict XVI's private homilies from 2005-2017.
According to Vatican News, the Vatican Publishing House has published "The Lord Holds Us By the Hand," previously released in Italian in 2025 under the title "Il Signore Ci Tiene per Mano."
The book contains Benedict's homilies delivered during private Masses both during his time as pope and after his resignation from the papacy in 2013.
The volume includes homilies from the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter, given at either the private chapel in the Apostolic Palace or the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican, and focused on developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The book offers an example of the continuity of the late pope's theological work since his time as Joseph Ratzinger, both as an acclaimed theologian and as head of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The book also highlights his focus on the person of Christ as an accompanying figure for today's Christians.
"The Lord Holds Us by the Hand" includes a preface by Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict XVI's former personal secretary, and an introduction by Father Federico Lombardi S.J., president of the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.
A second volume, dedicated to Benedict's homilies given during Ordinary Time, is forthcoming.
Next year, 2027, will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI.
