Pope Leo XIV received Cardinal Robert Sarah in private audience Monday, the first time the two men have formally met since Leo was elected Pope in May. “The mission of the Church is unique and as such must be fulfilled in a spirit of communion,” he contended. These have been replaced by wealth, power and “the possession of things, even people.”But God is “not an idea, he is not a vaguely rational or emotional personal conviction,” Cardinal Sarah continued. “Communion is an end; synodality is a means, to be verified,” Cardinal Sarah said. In a forceful homily at a solemn Mass marking the anniversary, Cardinal Sarah stressed the importance of Eucharistic adoration, and that the liturgy “is not a human spectacle” but is “imbued throughout with beauty, nobility and sacredness.” He also warned against diminishing religion to mere humanitarian action.