At 14.03, Pope Leo XIV arrived in the meeting area of the Sanctuary of Pompeii, where he departed by helicopter bound for Naples. He arrived at the Rotonda Diaz at 14.17.

Upon arrival, the Holy Father was welcomed by His Eminence Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, Archbishop of Naples, with the Honourable Roberto Fico, President of the Campania Region; Dr. Michele Di Bari, Prefect of Naples; and Dr. Gaetano Manfredi, Mayor of Naples.

Before entering the Cathedral for the meeting with the clergy and men and women religious, the Pontiff addressed some impromptu words of greeting to those awaiting him outside.

After the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the greeting of His Eminence Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, the exchange of gifts, the prayer and the reading of a passage from the Gospel, the Holy Father delivered his address.

At the end, in the sacristy, the Pope greeted some members of staff of the diocesan Curia.

The following is the address delivered by Pope Leo XIV to those present during the meeting with the clergy and men and women religious:

Words of the Holy Father before the meeting with the bishops, clergy, and men and women religious

Hello Naples! Good morning! I have come to Naples to find this warmth that only Naples can offer! Thank you for this welcome! Thank you! It is a blessing from God that we are gathered here together. I am very happy to be here this afternoon: a very brief but very meaningful time. And this first stop right here at the Duomo, the cathedral of Naples, where I also wish to pay homage to Saint Januarius, so important to your devotion, your faith!

I greet His Eminence, and all of you. Thank you for being here. We will pray together; let us ask for God’s blessing upon all of you, upon all Naples. Thank you! Thank you!

Address of the Holy Father

Your Eminence, Your Excellencies,

Dear priests, men and women religious,

Brothers and sisters!

Thank you, Your Eminence, for the greeting you addressed to me also on behalf of those present and of the entire Church in Naples. It is a great joy for me to visit this city, so rich in art and culture, situated in the heart of the Mediterranean and inhabited by a people who are unique and joyful, despite the burden of so many hardships. My venerable predecessor, Pope Francis, when he came here in 2015, said: “Life in Naples has never been easy, however it has never been sad! This is the great resource of yours: joy, cheerfulness” (Meeting with the people of Scampia, 21 March 2015). Today I am here also to be infected by this joy. Thank you for your welcome!

In this spirit of friendship and fraternity, I wish to share with you a brief reflection, which I hope will support you, encourage you on your journey and offer some useful insights for ecclesial and pastoral life.

There is a word that resonates in my heart as I listen to the Gospel account of the two disciples of Emmaus: the word care. Like those two disciples, we too often go on our way without being able to interpret the signs of history and, at times, discouraged and disappointed by so many problems or by personal and pastoral hopes that seem not to be fulfilled, we have a sad face and bitterness in our hearts. Jesus, however, walks alongside us and with us, accompanying us to open us up to a new light: His is the attitude of one who cares.

The opposite of care is neglect. And immediately some examples come to mind: the neglect of the streets and corners of the city, that of communal areas, that of the suburbs and, even more so, all those situations in which life itself is neglected, when we struggle to preserve its beauty and dignity. I would, however, like us to pause, first of all, on the importance of inner care, which is care for our hearts, our humanity and our relationships.

I say this first and foremost to those in the Church who are called to a role of responsibility, to a service of governance, to a special consecration. I am thinking primarily of priests, and men and women religious, because the weight of ministry and the inner strain that comes with it have, in some ways, become even more burdensome today than in the past.

Naples is a city of a thousand colours, in which the culture and tradition of the past blend with modernity and innovation; it is a city where a spontaneous and vibrant popular piety intertwines with numerous social vulnerabilities and the many faces of poverty; it is an ancient city yet one in constant motion, a place of great beauty yet at the same time marked by much suffering and even marred by violence.

In this context, pastoral action is called to a continuous embodiment of the Gospel message, because Christian faith is professed and celebrated not when it is limited to mere emotional events but penetrates deeply into the fabric of life and society. The burden, however, especially for priests, is great. I think of the effort involved in listening to the stories entrusted to you, in uncovering the most hidden ones that need to come to light, in persevering in the commitment to proclaiming the Gospel so that it may offer horizons of hope and encourage the choice of the good; I think of the weary families and the often disoriented young people whom you set out to accompany, and of all the needs—human, material and spiritual—that the poor entrust to you as they knock on the doors of your parishes and your associations. Added to this is often a sense of powerlessness and bewilderment when we realize that our language and our actions seem inadequate to meet today’s new questions and challenges, especially those of the youngest among us. The human and pastoral burden is certainly heavy; it risks becoming overwhelming, wearing us down and draining our energy, and at times it can be further compounded by a certain loneliness and a sense of pastoral isolation.

This is why we need care. First of all, care for the inner and spiritual life, constantly nourishing our personal relationship with the Lord in prayer and cultivating the ability to listen to what stirs within us, so that we may discern and allow ourselves to be enlightened by the Spirit. This also requires the courage to know when to pause, not to be afraid to consult the Gospel regarding the personal and pastoral situations we face, so as not to reduce ministry to a mere function to be performed.

Care for our ministry, however, also implies fraternity and communion. A fraternity rooted in God, which is expressed in friendship and mutual support, as well as in the sharing of pastoral projects and initiatives. It must be regarded as “a constitutive element of the identity of ministers, not as a mere ideal or a slogan” (Apostolic Letter A Fidelity that Generates the Future, 16). At the same time, precisely because today we are more exposed to the pitfalls of loneliness, living in a more complex and fragmented cultural environment, fraternity needs to be cultivated and promoted, perhaps even through new “possible forms of communal life” (ibid., 17), in which priests can help each other to develop pastoral action together. It is not merely a matter of attending a few meetings or events, but of working to overcome the temptation of individualism. Let us reflect on this together, priests and religious! Let us practise the art of closeness!

Pope Francis affirmed that, in response to a certain individualism prevalent in our dioceses, “we have to react by choosing fraternity”. He added, “This communion demands to be lived by seeking concrete forms adapted to the times and to the reality of the region, but always in an apostolic perspective, with a missionary lifestyle, with fraternity and simplicity of life” (Meeting with diocesan priests, Cassano all’Jonio, 21 June 2014).

Let us not forget, moreover, that this need for communion concerns us first and foremost as the baptized, called to form the one Church of Christ. It must therefore be sought, encouraged and lived out in all our human and pastoral relationships, in which the laity and pastoral workers play a role of primary importance. Walking together in the Lord’s footsteps and advancing the mission of evangelization by valuing the various charisms and ministries responds to the very identity of the Church: the Church is a mystery of communion and everyone, from the moment of Baptism, is called to be a living stone of the edifice, an apostle of the Gospel, a witness to the Kingdom.

In this regard, I know that you have experienced a time of grace in celebrating the diocesan Synod. It was a process that set the entire ecclesial community in motion once more, calling it to reflect on its own way of being and of proclaiming the Gospel in this land. I would like to invite you to cherish and make your own, first and foremost, the method of the Synod: an exercise in mutual listening, an engagement that excluded no one, a human, pastoral and spiritual synergy between parishes, associations, consecrated persons and laypeople, seeking to give a voice even to those who usually remain on the margins. This listening has clearly brought to light expectations, wounds and hopes, presenting you with the image of a Church called to go out from within itself, to transform its own style, to become incarnate among the people as a light of hope.

What I ask of you, therefore, is this: listen to one another, walk together, create a symphony of charisms and ministries, and in this way find ways to move from a pastoral approach of preservation to a missionary pastoral approach, capable of engaging with people’s real lives.

It is a mission that requires the contribution of everyone. In a city marked by inequalities, youth unemployment, early school leaving and family fragility, the proclamation of the Gospel cannot be separated from a concrete and supportive presence that involves each and every one of us – priests, religious and laity. Everyone is an active participant in pastoral care and the life of the Church, and not merely a collaborator, so that the engagement and witness of each person may give rise to a community that is present and attentive, capable of acting as leaven in the dough. A community that knows how to plan and propose paths that help people to live the experience of the Gospel and to draw from it the impetus to renew the city of Naples.

Dear brothers and sisters, I am aware of the special bond that unites you to your patron saint, Saint Januarius; yet God’s grace has been so generous towards you that it has raised up many other saints throughout your history. I entrust you to them and to the intercession of Mary, the Virgin assumed into heaven and caring Mother. And do not forget: you are part of a love story – that of the Lord for His people – that began before you and does not end with you; you are woven into it as unique and necessary threads; you are part of it so that, even in the densest darkness, you may kindle a light.

Do not be afraid, do not lose heart, and be, for this Church and for this city, witnesses of Christ and sowers of the future!