Vatican City – In the setting of the Paul VI Audience Hall, Pope Leo XIV met this morning with participants in the Jubilee of Consecrated Life, delivering a discourse of remarkable depth and programmatic breadth. The Pontiff outlined a true spiritual map for religious life in our time, centered on three key pillars: rootedness in Christ, return to the heart, and synodal journey.
“The Church needs you”
From the very beginning of his address, Leo XIV reaffirmed a decisive point: consecrated life is not marginal but constitutive of the Church. A necessary — and far from obvious — clarification in an age when monastic life is often perceived as a relic of the past, an outdated or even useless form. The Pope, on the contrary, places religious life back at the center, asserting its dignity and essential role. He made it clear that those who have chosen consecration are not “useless people,” as the world — and sadly even some ecclesial circles — might lead us to believe. Over the last sixty years, a distorted reading of the Second Vatican Council has led some to downplay the role of consecrated persons, as though their presence were secondary to other forms of vocation. Leo XIV sought to correct this drift, reminding all in clear terms: “The Church needs you, and the full diversity and richness of the forms of consecration and ministry you represent.” The Pontiff recalled that religious men and women are called to “wake up the world,” and this is possible only if their lives remain rooted in Christ, the sole source of fruitfulness and meaning. “United to Him,” he added, “your small lights become like the path of a luminous trail within God’s great plan of peace and salvation for humanity.”
Returning to the heart: the source of mission
One of the most powerful moments of the address was the invitation to “return to the heart.” The Pope explained that every charism finds its truth not in efficiency or numbers, but in fidelity to the original fire kindled by the Founders and Foundresses. It is in the heart, he said, that “the paradoxical connection between self-realization and openness to others” takes place — quoting the encyclical Dilexit nos. Only through interiority nurtured in prayer and communion with God can one bring forth “the best fruits of goodness according to the order of love.” This seemingly mystical passage is in fact a concrete call: to rediscover one’s spiritual identity in order to renew the mission. The risk, as Leo XIV seems to imply between the lines, is that of being lost in activism, forgetting that consecrated life is not about doing, but about being. The Pope said: “There is a deep need for hope and peace dwelling in the heart of every man and woman of our time, and you, consecrated men and women, wish to be bearers and witnesses of that hope through your lives — as messengers of harmony through word and example, and above all as people who, by God’s grace, carry within themselves the imprint of reconciliation and unity.” These words — “messengers of harmony” — resonate as a beautiful spiritual exhortation that transcends the boundaries of consecrated life. They concern not only religious men and women but also secular and lay faithful, who are likewise called to spread peace and unity in daily life, wherever they live and work. It is a universal invitation to embody, through gestures and words, that active hope which reconciles and rebuilds.
Pilgrims of hope on the path of peace
Echoing the Jubilee’s motto, the Pope stressed that consecrated persons are called to become builders of hope and artisans of peace in a world marked by conflicts, divisions, and verbal violence. He invited religious communities to become “bearers of reconciliation,” capable of transforming their communities into “laboratories of fraternity,” where the dignity of the person and the care for creation have a real place.
“Only in this way,” he said, “can you be bridge builders and promoters of a culture of encounter.” In the language of Leo XIV, this sounds like a manifesto: consecrated life is called to mend what the world tears apart.
Synodality as a way of life
A significant portion of the address was devoted to synodality, which the Pope described as “an exciting mission.” Citing a luminous passage from Ecclesiam suam by Saint Paul VI, Leo XIV portrayed synodality as a “domestic dialogue” — an intense, familiar, and sincere dialogue capable of forming Christians who are free, wise, and serene. In this sense, he noted that religious communities, by their very communal and often international structure, are in a privileged position to live out daily listening, participation, and co-responsibility. The Church, he said, now calls consecrated men and women to be “experts in synodality,” able to forgive, overcome divisions, and serve the People of God as prophets of communion.
Looking to the future with trust
In conclusion, the Pope sought to reassure consecrated men and women about the Christian virtue of hope, recalling that it “is not founded on numbers or works, but on Him in whom we have placed our trust.” It was a warning against the temptation to measure religious life by efficiency or statistics: what truly counts is daily fidelity and the courage of evangelical choices. “Scrutinize the horizons of your life,” he said, “and of this present moment, in vigilant watchfulness.”
A phrase that stands as a spiritual seal: do not fear the future, but walk through it with your eyes fixed on Christ.
p.R.A.
Silere non possum