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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church is not merely an institution, but a visible sign of God’s plan to unite all humanity in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, Pope Leo XIV said in his weekly general audience.

The pope continued his series on the Second Vatican Council, emphasizing one of its principal documents, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, "Lumen Gentium," which states that the Church is "in Christ like a sacrament," and therefore both are a "closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race."

"It is through the Church that God achieves the aim of bringing people to him and uniting them with one another," he said Feb. 18 in Italian. "Union with God finds its reflection in the union of human beings."

Pope Leo said that this document refers to the Church as a "mystery," not because it is incomprehensible, but rather because what was previously hidden "is now revealed."

"Church is an expression of what God wants to accomplish in the history of humanity; therefore, by looking at the Church, we can to some extent grasp God’s plan, the mystery," he said. 

The pope said humanity is naturally fragmented, but Jesus broke down the wall that separates people, and the Church was established through his sacrifice. 

"Sitting at the right hand of the Father, he is continually active in the world that he might lead men to the Church and through it join them to himself and that he might make them partakers of his glorious life by nourishing them with his own body and blood," Pope Leo said.

With Rome's temperatures slowly rising, Pope Leo returned to holding the general audience in St. Peter's Square, waving at visitors, kissing and blessing babies as he rode in the popemobile on Ash Wednesday. At the end of his general audience, the pope addressed the beginning of the 40-day Lenten season in his greetings to English-speakers.

"As we begin our Lenten journey today, let us ask the Lord to grant us the gift of true conversion of heart so that we may better respond to his love for us and share that love with those around us," he said.