Pope to bishops: Church's fruitfulness should not be based on numbers

Vatican, May 29, 2026: Meeting participants of the 82nd General Assembly of the Italian Bishops' Conference at the Vatican today, Pope Leo XIV expressed his closeness to “all the Churches throughout Italy, to the priests, deacons, consecrated persons, families…and also to those who, perhaps without realizing it, carry in their hearts a thirst for God.”

The Pope said this gift is something he has been blessed to witness “even in a time like ours, marked by complexity.” He recalled experiencing this personally during his visits to Pompeii, Naples, and Acerra.

Pope Leo further observed that there are many signs of exhaustion, division, and loneliness in people’s lives. At times, communities also experience difficulties in passing on the faith and reaching younger generations. However, he emphasised that “the Gospel awakens us.”

The harvest is abundant

Continuing his address, Pope Leo reflected on a passage from the Gospel of Luke: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

The Pope explained that God, as a tireless sower, continually enters the world and “scatters” within human hearts the longing for the infinite, “for a life fulfilled, for a salvation that sets free.” He underlined that the abundance of the harvest comes from God, and our responsibility is to adopt the Lord’s vision as our own.

Rather than simply “complain about hardened soil or dwell only on statistics,” the Pope stressed that Christians are called to “know how to see, with the eyes of the Risen Christ,” the harvest that God is preparing.

Addressing the Italian bishops directly, Pope Leo prayed that the Holy Spirit would grant them hearts burning with “the zeal of Christ”, and that many labourers would work “alongside us.”

The priority is the Gospel

With this perspective, Pope Leo said that “the priority is the Gospel.” He described this as a theme running through the Church’s history, from St. Francis of Assisi to St. Paul VI and Pope Francis. Faith, he said, is born from the Gospel through “a living encounter with Christ, dead and risen, present in His Church.”

In the modern world, the Pope noted that restoring the Gospel to the centre “is both the gift that gives enthusiasm to our lives as Bishops and the urgency that drives us onward.”

He therefore invited the bishops to reflect on two questions:

1. What face of God do we allow to shine through in our preaching, catechesis, liturgy, charity, and in the life of our communities?

2. How do we foster an encounter with Christ, and what does it mean today, for us and for our Churches, to initiate others into the Christian life?

The Pope urged pastors to continually ask themselves these questions and to avoid “never taking the answers for granted.”

Handing on the faith

Pope Leo explained that this is why renewed attention to the Christian tradition is necessary, though it must go beyond simply preparing people for the Sacraments. He described the Sacraments as the “womb” through which a community “gives birth to faith and introduces people into the Paschal life, into communion with the Lord, into ecclesial fraternity.”

Faith, he said, is passed on and strengthened in communities that are welcoming and alive. These are communities that listen and pray, place the Eucharist at the centre as “the source and summit”, recognise the poor as brothers and sisters, and do not neglect families.

For this reason, bishops are called to listen deeply to the Word of God, the People of God, and the signs of the times. Where authentic listening exists, the community does not become inward-looking. Instead, it becomes a place of mission and discernment, capable of renewal.

Pope Leo explained that this is the meaning of the Synodal Journey. “A synodal Church is one in which each person, according to his or her vocation, can offer the gift received from the Spirit for the common building up,” he said.

Participation, therefore, is not optional, but rather a “requirement of communion and mission and must therefore become method, responsibility, and accountability.”

Not based on numbers

The Pope stressed that God does not ask the Church to judge its fruitfulness through numbers, visibility, or influence.

Instead, he encouraged the bishops to “have the courage to focus on what is essential.” He said the emphasis should remain on continuous Christian formation, welcoming and missionary parishes where families can come together, and listening to young people without restricting their questions, among other priorities.

Concluding his address, Pope Leo entrusted the journey of the Italian bishops to Mary, Mother of the Church. “May she help you to be ‘rooted and built up in Him, steadfast in the faith’ (Col 2:7), to safeguard what is essential, to generate faith, to walk with the People of God, and to recognize the voice of the Lord who still calls, consoles, and sends forth.”

Courtesy: Vatican News