- 28 May, 2026
Vatican, May 28, 2026: Pope Leo XIV met participants of the Plenary Session of the Dicastery for Evangelisation – Section for Fundamental Questions of Evangelization in the World on Thursday.
He recalled that 33 million people travelled to Rome during the 2025 Jubilee of Hope and expressed gratitude to the Dicastery for coordinating efforts to welcome such a vast number of faithful.
Describing it as “a time of grace,” the Pope said the Jubilee was experienced in Rome through pilgrimages to the four Papal Basilicas, as well as within local Church communities, where Catholics recognised the deep human desire for hope.
Pope Leo said the proclamation of the Gospel is not a utopian proposal, but rather a witness that attracts people through the call to love and truth.
“Evangelization asks that it continue to be the fundamental motivation of every action of the universal Church and of local communities,” he said. “Only in this way is faith rediscovered again and again in its beauty and able to express its credibility in the best way.”
The Pope highlighted the crisis of faith, particularly in Western nations, which has resulted in growing religious indifference.
He warned that the real danger for humanity is that indifference may lead people to stop seeking answers to existential questions, including the search for meaning.
“Even in this context,” he said, “the encounter with Christ is able to restore fullness of meaning and value to people’s lives, and the Church rediscovers the perennial relevance of the mandate she has received from the Risen Lord.”
According to the Pope, the mission of the Church is to help humanity build upon reliable foundations so that the future may be marked by “peace, justice, freedom, and fraternity.”
He observed that many young people are becoming more aware of their spiritual hunger and encouraged the Church to continue discovering new ways to proclaim the Gospel in response to this desire.
“The new generation is not closed off to the Gospel,” he said. “On the contrary, many, when they rediscover it, want to know it better, because they perceive that within it lies the secret to being truly happy.”
Pope Leo said methods of evangelization continue to evolve and stressed that Catholic communities must listen to the Holy Spirit so that many people may be led to Christ and His saving love and word.
He noted that in some parts of the world, the transmission of faith has been interrupted, leading to spiritual “poverty,” which he described as the absence of motivations and tools necessary to mature in the full freedom of faith.
He further said hyper-mediated and consumeristic societies make people less capable and less willing to learn patiently or undertake a personal search for truth.
In such contexts, the Pope said, the transmission of faith depends on encounters with communities and individuals who are joyful and who live the Gospel in a consistent and credible manner.
“The holiness of life, therefore, always remains the most convincing form of the beauty of the Christian faith, which transcends time and is proposed to every culture,” he said.
Finally, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the Dicastery for Evangelization to continue its mission of assisting catechesis, especially for the growing number of people requesting Baptism as adults.
As new Catholics begin their journey in faith, he concluded, Catholic communities must offer them a space for growth and “interpersonal relationships lived in love and mutual service.”
Courtesy: Vatican News
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