Pope Leo Urges New Bishops to Carry Their People in Their Hearts

Vatican City, Sep 11, 2026: Pope Leo has called on newly ordained Bishops to embrace the heart of Christ the Good Shepherd, urging them to remain close to Jesus while accompanying the people entrusted to their care.

The Pope made the appeal on Thursday during his meeting with Bishops participating in a formation course entitled “Bishops, servants of communion in the Church and in today’s world.”

Reflecting on the particular fraternity shared by Bishops, Pope Leo told the participants that they do not walk alone. Their ministry, he said, is rooted in a shared responsibility for the hopes, dreams and lives of the people they serve. He assured them of his prayers and emphasised that every person should have a place in a Bishop’s heart, “because everyone already has a place in the heart of Christ.”

At the heart of their ministry, the Pope placed the Bishop’s relationship with Christ. He urged the new Bishops to “remain with Jesus” by making prayer and communion with Him their foremost priority.

“Always cherish your time with the Lord: the Eucharist, the Word of God, prayer, and those moments in which you can remain in His presence with the simple heart of a disciple who allows himself to be loved by his Lord,” he said.

Pope Leo invited the Bishops to cultivate “the heart of Jesus, the Good Shepherd,” a heart completely turned towards the Father and wholly given to their brothers and sisters. Such pastoral care, he said, requires Bishops to enter deeply into the lives of their people.

“A Bishop is a man who learns each day to love his people more deeply: to know their joys and sorrows, to share their dreams and to rejoice as he sees communities grow,” he said.

This closeness, the Pope explained, is expressed through the ordinary encounters of episcopal ministry. Whether ordaining priests and deacons, meeting young people with enthusiasm or accompanying those facing difficulties, Bishops are called to know the people entrusted to them personally, learning their names and their stories.

He gave particular emphasis to the witness of Bishops in young Churches, where their presence can communicate the Church’s care through simple gestures. Spending time with a priest or listening attentively to a family, he said, can leave a deep impression.

“You know both the beauty and the demands of mission, and of a Church that may possess little but is rich in great faith,” he said. “I therefore invite you to preserve a missionary heart.”

The Pope also urged the Bishops to embrace what he called “pastoral sollicitude”—the willingness to carry people in their hearts, with particular attention to priests. Their ministry is ultimately a “service of love”, expressed through preaching, prayer, discernment and their availability to others.

Addressing the rapidly changing world in which the new Bishops will exercise their ministry, Pope Leo pointed to the possibilities emerging through artificial intelligence. While technological developments are transforming human life, he stressed that technology cannot liberate humanity from sin and its consequences. The Church, therefore, must continue proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to everyone.

He also invited the Bishops to create opportunities for reflection and dialogue on his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, enabling people to contribute to the building of a civilisation of love in accordance with the vision presented in the document.

Pope Leo concluded by encouraging the new Bishops to keep their hearts open to everyone, including those who profess no faith. He called them to walk alongside their people through prayer, Scripture and the Eucharist.

“Let us walk with our people: let us pray with them, listen to the Word with them, and celebrate the Eucharist with them,” he said. “Let us seek the face of the Lord with them each day.”

Courtesy: Vatican News