Pope Leo XIV to religious sisters: Ask, 'Is God my everything?'

Vatican, June 30, 2025: On Monday, 30 June, Pope Leo XIV addressed four congregations of religious sisters—namely, the Daughters of Divine Charity, the Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great, the Augustinian Sisters of Amparo, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts—during a special audience at the Vatican. The encounter, held as the sisters gathered in Rome for their General Chapters and in preparation for the upcoming Jubilee, was an occasion for the Holy Father to encourage them to remain deeply rooted in Christ. Emphasising the primacy of God in consecrated life, the Pope called on the sisters to ensure that “God, in every way, remains their everything.”

Quoting Saint Augustine, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the centrality of God in the Christian journey, saying, “God is everything, your everything. If you are hungry, God is your bread; if you are thirsty, God is your water; if you are in darkness, God is your light that never fades; if you are naked, God is your everlasting garment.” The Pope then invited the sisters to personally reflect on these words, asking, “Indeed, we would do well to ask ourselves: to what extent are these words true for me? How much does the Lord satisfy my thirst for life, love or light?”

Rootedness in Christ

In his remarks, the Holy Father noted, that "this rootedness in Christ is what led those who went before us – men and women like us, with gifts and limitations like ours – to do things they perhaps never thought they could achieve."

Moreover, the Pope marveled, it enabled them to sow seeds of goodness that, enduring throughout the centuries and across continents, have now reached practically the entire world, as your presence here demonstrates.

Inspired by holiness

He pointed out that they have come to the tomb of St. Peter "in order to renew their love for the Lord and your fidelity to the Church."

While noting their Congregations were founded at different times and in distinct circumstances, the Holy Father recalled that their histories "share a common thread that can be seen in the light of such great historical witnesses to the spiritual life as Augustine, Basil and Francis, whose asceticism, courage and holiness of life inspired your founders to foster new ways of serving others."  

This, he said, is evident in their care for the weakest, including children, poor girls and boys, orphans, migrants, and more recently for the elderly and the sick as well as many other ministries of charity.

Faced with important choices

"Your response to the challenges of the past and the vitality of your present," Pope Leo XIV highlighted, "make clear that fidelity to the ancient wisdom of the Gospel is the best way forward for those who, led by the Holy Spirit, undertake new paths of self-giving, dedicated to loving God and neighbor and listening attentively to the signs of the times."

With this sentiment, Pope Leo reminded them of their important responsibility.

"You are faced with important choices that will determine your future, that of your sisters and of the Church Herself," he highlighted, stressing that, "For this reason, it seems most appropriate to conclude by reiterating, for all of us, the beautiful hope expressed by Saint Paul in addressing the Christians of Ephesus.

St. Paul, the Pope said, expressed, "I pray that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Finally, before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, Pope Leo thanked the religious sisters for their work and fidelity and prayed the Blessed Mother accompany them.

Courtesy: Vatican