This morning, in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father Leo XIV met with the clergy of the diocese of Rome, to whom he delivered the following address:
Address of the Holy Father
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.
[Greeting address of the Cardinal Vicar]
Dear brothers,
I greet you with great joy, and I thank you for being here this morning. I thank the Cardinal Vicar for the words he addressed to me, and I cordially greet all of you: the members of the Episcopal Council, the parish priests, and all the presbyters present. And I say, if it is true that we are at the beginning of this Lenten journey, this is not an act of penance: for me at least, it is a great joy! And I say so sincerely!
At the beginning of the pastoral year, we let ourselves be inspired by what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well: “If you knew the gift of God” (Jn 4:10).
The gift, as we know, is also an invitation to live a creative responsibility. We are not merely inserted into the river of tradition as passive executors of a predefined pastoral plan but, on the contrary, with our creativity and our charisms, we are called to collaborate with God’s work. In this regard, the words that the Apostle Paul addresses to Timothy are enlightening: ‘I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you” (2 Tim 1:6). These words are addressed not only to the individual but also to the community, and today we can hear them addressed to us: Church of Rome, remember to rekindle the gift of God!
What does rekindle mean? Paul addresses this exhortation to a community that has in some ways lost its original freshness and its pastoral zeal; with the changing context and the passing of time, a certain weariness, some disappointment or frustration, a certain spiritual and moral decline can be discerned. And so the Apostle says to Timothy and to that community: remember to rekindle the gift you have received. This verb used by Paul – to rekindle – evokes the image of embers under the ashes and, as Pope Francis said, “suggests the image of one who breathes on the fire to revive the flame” (Catechesis, 30 October 2024).
We can also say this about the pastoral journey of our diocese: the fire is lit, but it must be rekindled again and again.
The burning fire is the irrevocable gift that the Lord has given us; it is the Spirit who has traced the path of our Church, the history and tradition we have received, and what we ordinarily carry forward in our communities. At the same time, we must humbly admit that the flame of this fire does not always retain the same vitality and needs to be rekindled. Pressed by sudden cultural changes and the scenarios in which our mission takes place, sometimes assailed by fatigue and the burden of routine, or discouraged by the growing disaffection with faith and religious practice, we feel the need for this fire to be fuelled and revived.
This applies in particular to some areas of pastoral life, which I would like to briefly indicate.
The first certainly relates to the ordinary pastoral care of parishes. And here, first of all I would like to share a thought of gratitude with you, recalling the words Pope Francis addressed to you in one of the last Chrism Masses: “Thank you for service. Thank you for the hidden good you do. … Thank you for your ministry, which is often carried out with great effort, with little recognition and is not always understood” (Homily at Chrism Mass, 6 April 2023). However, difficulties and misunderstandings can also offer an opportunity for reflection on the pastoral challenges to be faced. In particular, regarding the relationship between Christian initiation and evangelization, we need a clear change of direction. Indeed, ordinary pastoral care is structured according to a classic model that is concerned primarily with ensuring that the Sacraments are administered, but such a model presupposes that faith is in some way transmitted also by the surrounding environment, by society as well as the family environment. In reality, the cultural and anthropological changes that have taken place in recent decades tell us that it is no longer the case; on the contrary, we are witnessing a constant erosion of religious practice.
It is therefore urgent to return to proclaiming the Gospel: this is the priority. With humility, but also without letting ourselves be discouraged, we must recognize that “part of our baptized people lack a sense of belonging to the Church”, and this invites us to beware of “administering the sacraments apart from other forms of evangelization” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 63). Let us remember the questions of the Apostle Paul: “How are men … to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14). As in all large urban agglomerations, the city of Rome is characterized by constant mobility, by a new way of inhabiting the territory and experiencing time, by increasingly pluralistic and sometimes frayed relational and family fabrics. Therefore, it is necessary for parish pastoral care to refocus on proclamation, to seek ways and means to help people reconnect with the promise of Jesus. In this context, Christian initiation, often modelled on school rhythms, needs to be reviewed: we need to experiment with other ways of transmitting the faith outside the traditional paths, in order to try to involve children, young people and families in new ways.
A second aspect is this: learning to work together, in communion. To give primacy to evangelization in all its multiple forms, we cannot think and act in a solitary way. In the past, the parish was more closely linked to the local area and included all those who lived there; today, however, models and lifestyles have shifted from stability to mobility, and many people, in addition to work reasons, move for various kinds of experiences, living relationships beyond the territorial and cultural boundaries to which they belong. The parish alone is not enough to initiate a process of evangelisation capable of reaching those who cannot participate adequately. In a large territory such as Rome, we must overcome the temptation of self-referentiality, which generates overwork and dispersion, in order to work together more, especially between neighbouring parishes, pooling our charisms and potential, planning together and avoiding overlapping initiatives. Greater coordination is needed which, far from being a pastoral expedient, is intended to express our priestly communion.
A final aspect I would like to emphasize: proximity to the young. Many of them – as we know – “live without any reference to God and the Church” (Address to participants in the Plenary Session of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, 29 January 2026). It is therefore a question of understanding and interpreting the profound existential unease that dwells within them, their confusion, their many difficulties, as well as the phenomena that involve them in the virtual world and the symptoms of a worrying aggressiveness, which sometimes leads to violence. I know that you are aware of this reality and are committed to addressing it. We do not have easy solutions that guarantee immediate results, but as far as possible, we can listen to young people, be present for them, welcome them, and share a little of their lives. At the same time, since these issues affect various dimensions of life, let us also try, as parishes, to dialogue and interact with local institutions, schools, specialists in the field of education and the human sciences, and with those who care about the destiny and future of our young people.
And speaking of youth, I would like to offer a word of encouragement to younger priests – most of you are here, aren't you? – who often experience first-hand the potential and struggles of their generation and of this era. In a more difficult and less rewarding social and ecclesial context, there is a risk of quickly exhausting one’s energy, accumulating frustration and falling into loneliness. I urge you to be faithful every day in your relationship with the Lord and to work with enthusiasm even if you do not see the fruits of your apostolate right now. Above all, I invite you never to close yourselves off: do not be afraid to share your experiences, even your fatigue and your crises, especially with confreres who you believe can help you. All of us, of course, are called to an attitude of listening and attention, through which we can live priestly fraternity in a concrete way. Let us accompany and support one another.
Dear friends, I am happy to have shared this moment with you. As I recently recalled, our first duty is “safeguarding and nurturing a vocation through a constant journey of conversion and renewed fidelity, which is never a purely individual path but commits us to caring for one another” (Apostolic Letter A Fidelity that Generates the Future, 13). In this way, we will be shepherds after God’s own heart and we will be able to serve our diocese of Rome in the best possible way. Thank you!
