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Pope Francis urges all Catholics to be ‘missionaries of hope’ through prayer and action

Pope Francis addresses pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Feb. 5, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Feb 6, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Thursday released his message for World Mission Day 2025, encouraging all Catholics to be “missionaries of hope” who actively participate in the Church’s evangelizing mission through a “communion of prayer and action.”

“I urge all of you, children, young people, adults, and the elderly, to participate actively in the common evangelizing mission of the Church by your witness of life and prayer, by your sacrifices, and by your generosity,” the pope shared in his message.

The pope said he chose “Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples” as the motto for the 2025 mission day, which will be observed this year on Oct. 19.

To continue Jesus’ “ministry of hope for humanity,” the Holy Father said each Catholic must first develop “a mature faith in Christ” that is nourished by prayer.

“Missionaries of hope are men and women of prayer, for ‘the person who hopes is a person who prays,’” the pope said, quoting Venerable Cardinal François-Xavier Van Thuan. “Let us not forget that prayer is the primary missionary activity.”

The Eucharist and the other sacraments, the Holy Father explained, are essential for Catholics to “draw upon the power of the Holy Spirit” to work with determination and patience in the “vast field of global evangelization.”

“In following Christ the Lord, Christians are called to hand on the good news by sharing the concrete life situations of those whom they meet and thus to be bearers and builders of hope,” the pope said. 

“Indeed, ‘the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well. Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts’ (Gaudium et Spes, 1),” he continued.

‘Missionaries of hope among all peoples’

In order to be builders of hope in both advanced and developing nations, the 88-year-old pontiff said the Church must recognize that Jesus Christ, the “divine Missionary of hope,” wants to speak to the heart of every man and woman and offer them salvation through his followers.  

“Christian communities can be harbingers of a new humanity in a world that, in the most ‘developed’ areas, shows serious symptoms of human crisis,” he said. “In the most technologically advanced nations, ‘proximity’ is disappearing: We are all interconnected but not related.”

In his message, the Holy Father decried how obsession with efficiency, materialism, ambition, and self-centeredness has created a culture of loneliness and indifference in wealthy nations. 

Expressing his special love for the poor, the pope said the Church’s missionaries must give particular attention to the weakest and most vulnerable members of society.

“Often they are the ones who teach us how to live in hope,” the Holy Father said. “Through personal contact, we will also convey the love of the compassionate heart of the Lord.”

Referring to his papal bull for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, Spes Non Confundit, the pope said Christians can be “signs of hope” through works of mercy such as visits to the poor, elderly, sick, and migrants.

‘Missionaries ad gentes’

The Holy Father also shared his particular gratitude for the work of Pontifical Mission Societies who “have gone forth to other nations to make known the love of God in Christ” and built new churches. 

“I thank you most heartily! Your lives are a clear response to the command of the risen Christ, who sent his disciples to evangelize all peoples (cf. Mt 28:18-20),” the pope said. 

“In this way, you are signs of the universal vocation of the baptized to become, by the power of the Spirit and daily effort, missionaries among all peoples, and witnesses to the great hope given us by the Lord Jesus,” he added.

Pope Francis highlights hope for fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Pope Francis meets with elderly and sick people on his final day in Singapore on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, marking the conclusion of his 12-day, four-country apostolic journey to Asia and Oceania — the longest trip of his pontificate to date. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Feb 6, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has chosen “Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Lost Hope” as the theme for the fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be celebrated this year on Sunday, July 27. 

According to a statement from the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, the Holy Father wanted to highlight the hope of the elderly in the final stage of their lives.

These words, taken from the Book of Sirach, “express the blessedness of the elderly and indicate hope placed in the Lord as the way to a Christian and reconciled old age,” the statement explains.

In the context of the jubilee year, this day, established by Pope Francis in 2021, takes on a new meaning as it intends to be “an opportunity to reflect on how the presence of grandparents and the elderly can become a sign of hope in every family and church community,” according to the Vatican.

The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life “renews to everyone Pope Francis’ invitation to celebrate the occasion in every diocese and to dedicate the celebrations of Sunday, July 27, to the elderly, promoting visits and opportunities for encounters between the generations.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Francis prays for victims, grieving families of tragic school shooting in Sweden

People light candles at a makeshift vigil near the adult education center Campus Risbergska school in Örebro, Sweden, on Feb. 5, 2025, one day after a shooting there left 11 people dead. / Credit: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

Vatican City, Feb 5, 2025 / 13:15 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday expressed his spiritual closeness with the people of Sweden after at least 11 people were killed by a gunman at an adult school in Örebro on Feb. 4.

In a Feb. 5 telegram to Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the Holy Father said he is deeply saddened by the incident, which has been described as the worst mass shooting in the country’s history, and is praying for all those affected.

“[Pope Francis] offers prayer for the repose of the souls of those who have died, for the consolation of their grieving families and friends, and for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the telegram reads.

“At this difficult time for the nation, His Holiness invokes upon the Swedish people Almighty God’s gifts of unity and peace,” the papal message concludes.

The suspected gunman, who has not been named by police, is among the 11 killed at the Risbergska School for adults. The school offers vocational training courses and Swedish language classes for men and women who were unable to complete their high school education.

According to ​​Sveriges Television, local authorities have not yet confirmed the number of injured people and warned that the death toll could rise.

Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Sweden issued a statement on Wednesday mourning the tragedy: “Together with all of Sweden, we Catholics mourn the victims of the violent incident in Örebro, and we pray for them. Violence and shootings only seem to increase.”

Though shootings in Sweden are rare, police data shows the number of shootings in the country has gone up. To date, the highest number of shootings was in 2022 when 391 shootings took place, killing 62 and injuring an additional 107 people, according to Al Jazeera.

St. Eskil’s Catholic Parish in Örebro opened Wednesday afternoon for those who wanted to light candles, attend Mass, or pray for the city and those affected by the deadly shooting.

All Catholic churches in Sweden will pray for mercy for all the victims at Feb. 9 Sunday Mass celebrations, according to Arborelius’ statement.

Pope Francis: Faith in God is ‘a force that sets love in motion’ in the world

Pope Francis greets pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Feb. 5, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Feb 5, 2025 / 09:40 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday continued his catechesis on “Jesus Christ Our Hope,” saying love is the force that compels people, including the Blessed Virgin Mary, to share their faith in God with others. 

Unable to read his prepared catechesis due to a cold, the Holy Father asked an aide to read his reflection on St. Luke’s Gospel account of the Visitation at his Feb. 5 general audience held inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall.

“The Virgin Mary visits St. Elizabeth, but it is above all Jesus, in his mother’s womb, who visits his people (cf. Lk 1:68),” he said. “Mary gets up and sets out on a journey, like all those who are called to in the Bible.”

During the audience, the pope explained that the “unlimited readiness” of the men and women of the Bible is “the only act” that enabled them to respond to God’s call, particularly during times of uncertainty. 

Pope Francis greets pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Feb. 5, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Francis greets pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Feb. 5, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

“This young daughter of Israel does not choose to protect herself from the world,” he said. “She does not fear dangers and the judgments of others but goes out toward other people.”

Highlighting the need for people to know and feel loved by God, the 88-year-old pope encouraged Christians to be open to receiving God’s love, “a force that sets love in motion,” and, like the Mother of God, passing it on to others.

“Mary feels the push of this love and goes to help a woman who is her relative but also an elderly woman who, after a long wait, is welcoming an unhoped-for pregnancy, difficult to deal with at her age,” he said.

“But the Virgin also goes to Elizabeth to share her faith in the God of the impossible and her hope in the fulfillment of his promises,” he continued.

Pope Francis addresses pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Feb. 5, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Francis addresses pilgrims gathered for his Wednesday general audience on Feb. 5, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

The Holy Father also praised the impact of Mary’s humility expressed in her hymn of praise, the Magnificat, in salvation history.

“Mary does not want to sing ‘out of the choir’ but to tune in with the forefathers,” he told pilgrims. “Mary sings of the grace of the past, but she is the woman of the present who carries the future in her womb.”

After asking pilgrims at the Vatican to pray for peace in Ukraine and for all countries at war, the Holy Father invited his listeners to also welcome Mary into their lives and to ask “for the grace to be able to wait for the fulfillment of every one of his promises.”

“By following her example, may we all discover that every soul that believes and hopes conceives and begets the Word of God,” he said.

Pope Francis: Carlo Acutis shows young people ‘the fullness of life’ in Christ

Pope Francis meets with members of a pilgrimage sponsored by the Scandinavian Bishops’ Conference on Feb. 3, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Feb 3, 2025 / 14:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis said Monday that Blessed Carlo Acutis shows young people that “the fullness of life” in today’s world is found in following Jesus.

Speaking to Catholic pilgrims from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland on Feb. 3, the pope shared a special message for young people, pointing to the soon-to-be canonized Acutis as an example of joyful discipleship.

“As part of this year’s events, on 27 April we will celebrate the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis,” Francis said. “This young saint of and for our times shows you, and all of us, how possible it is in today’s world for young people to follow Jesus, share his teachings with others, and so find the fullness of life in joy, freedom, and holiness.”

Pope Francis addresses a pilgrimage sponsored by the Scandinavian Bishops’ Conference on Feb. 3, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Francis addresses a pilgrimage sponsored by the Scandinavian Bishops’ Conference on Feb. 3, 2025, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

The pope then urged young Catholics to embrace their role in the Church, quoting his apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit: “May the Holy Spirit urge you on … The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. We need them!” 

The papal audience with the pilgrimage group organized by the Nordic bishops’ conference is one of many such audiences for the 88-year-old pope this year as pilgrims travel to Rome from across the globe for the 2025 Jubilee Year.

Reflecting on the theme of the jubilee — “Pilgrims of Hope” — Pope Francis encouraged the Scandinavian Catholics to be strengthened in their faith.

“It is my prayer, then, that your hope will be strengthened during these days,” he said. “You are surely already aware of signs of hope in your home countries, for the Church in your lands, while small, is growing in numbers.”

Despite a high level of secularization, the Catholic Church in the Nordic countries continues to expand, experiencing an annual 2% growth due to immigration, conversions, and flourishing communities, according to the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner. 

The pope attributed this increase to God’s providence. 

“It always grows,” he said. “We can thank Almighty God that the seeds of faith planted and watered there by generations of persevering pastors and people are bearing fruit. Nor should this surprise us, because God is always faithful to his promises!”

The pope also reminded the pilgrims that their journey did not end in Rome but was part of a lifelong commitment to discipleship and evangelization.

“As you visit the various holy sites in the Eternal City, especially the tombs of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, I also pray that your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your awareness of belonging to him and to one another in the communion of the Church, will be nourished and deepened,” he said.

He urged the pilgrims to bring the spirit of their journey back home, emphasizing that faith is meant to be shared with others.

“A pilgrimage does not end but shifts its focus to the daily ‘pilgrimage of discipleship’ and the call to persevere in the task of evangelization,” he said. “In this regard, I would encourage your vibrant Catholic communities to cooperate with your fellow Christians, for in these challenging times, scarred by war in Europe and around the world, how much our human family needs a unified witness to the reconciliation, healing, and peace that can come only from God.”

“There can be no greater ‘work’ than transmitting the saving message of the Gospel to others, and we are called to do this especially for those on the margins,” Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis to write papal document on theme of children

Pope Francis speaks at the Children’s Rights Summit on Feb. 3, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Feb 3, 2025 / 12:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis received a long round of applause at a Vatican summit on Monday after announcing he intends to make children the theme of a new papal document.

Titled “Love Them and Protect Them,” the Feb. 2–3 summit with public- and private-sector leaders from around the world includes panels on the child’s right to resources, to education, to food and health care, to family, to free time, and to live free from violence.

“To give continuity to this commitment and promote it throughout the Church, I plan to prepare a letter, an exhortation dedicated to children,” Pope Francis said on Feb. 3 in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.

World leaders participate along with Pope Francis at the Children’s Rights Summit on Feb. 3, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
World leaders participate along with Pope Francis at the Children’s Rights Summit on Feb. 3, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

The pontiff participated in most of the first day of the summit, at which he gave an opening speech on the importance of protecting children at the margins of society, including those living in war zones, unaccompanied minors, and the unborn.

“The halls of the Apostolic Palace today have become an open observatory on the reality of childhood throughout the world, a childhood that is unfortunately often wounded, exploited, denied,” he said in his remarks at the closing of Day 2 of the summit.

“Your presence, your experience, and your compassion have given rise to an observatory and, above all, to a laboratory,” he added.

“In different thematic groups you have drawn up proposals for the protection of children’s rights, considering them not as numbers but as faces. All this gives glory to God, and to him we entrust it, that his Holy Spirit may make it fruitful and fertile.”

“Children look to us, children look to us to see how we send life forward,” the Holy Father continued.

Speakers at the two-day summit include Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and author and Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck.

Filipino cardinal urges Catholics to report clerical abuse to Church and civil authorities

Filipino Cardinal Pablo Virgilio Siongco David was created a cardinal by Pope Francis during the consistory at St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Feb 3, 2025 / 11:50 am (CNA).

After a U.S abuse watchdog slammed the Philippines’ bishops for not taking action against clergy accused of sexual abuse, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David urged Filipino Catholics to report priests accused of misconduct to both Church and civil authorities.

Days after BishopsAccountability.org on Jan. 29 launched its Philippines database, which lists 82 priests and brothers publicly accused of abusing minors, David insisted the country’s Catholics must report “erring priests.” 

“Please don’t hesitate to file complaints against abusive clerics whether in the civil or Church forums,” David insisted in a Jan. 31 statement. “[Pope Francis] has been insistent on putting up structures of check and balance and accountability to prevent past mistakes from happening again.”

David conceded the Church is “not always successful” in keeping accused clergy accountable and needs “the help and participation of our laypeople, including our professional journalists” to protect minors and vulnerable adults from abuse. 

The database also includes allegations about Filipino priests who served in the U.S. and priests from other countries — the United States, Ireland, and Australia — who served in the Philippines.

Regarding U.S. priests, David said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is “at a loss” on how to take appropriate action against suspended clergy attempting to engage in active ministry or who may be in hiding in the country.

“It’s important that the local bishops to whom they are incardinated in the States should inform us bishops in the Philippines about such cases,” the cardinal said. 

The Philippine Daily Inquirer on Jan. 31 reported two bishops from the Visayas region issued separate statements addressing accusations leveled against clergy belonging to their dioceses.

Archbishop Jose Palma said most of the men mentioned by BishopsAccountability.org linked to the Archdiocese of Cebu had been dismissed from service or were dead. He noted three clergy had been reintegrated into the archdiocese after the required legal and canonical processes, reported the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said two priests called out by the U.S. abuse watchdog connected to the Diocese of San Carlos “are still under ecclesiastical review” by the diocesan safeguarding office.

“The diocese is steadfastly committed to cooperating with civil authorities and the Philippine courts to ensure a fair and just process,” Alminaza said in a statement last week.

Under Pope Francis, the Vatican has set up institutional processes and structures, including the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, to accompany and assist local Churches’ safeguarding ministries.

Following Rome’s mandate, the CBCP established the Office on the Protection of Minors, headed by Archbishop Florentino Lavarias. Each Philippine diocese is required to have a diocesan safeguarding office supervised by the local bishop.

Pope Francis, international leaders discuss children’s rights at Vatican

Queen Rania Al Abdullah speaks along with other world leaders at the Children’s Rights Summit on Feb. 3, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Feb 3, 2025 / 09:13 am (CNA).

Pope Francis and leaders from around the world are meeting at the Vatican this week to discuss the rights of children, including the smallest and most defenseless children — the unborn.

The pontiff opened the summit on Feb. 3 with a reflection on the many ways children are oppressed today, including living through war, poverty, as undocumented migrants, and without access to adequate food, education, and health care.

World leaders participate along with Pope Francis at the Children’s Rights Summit on Feb. 3, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
World leaders participate along with Pope Francis at the Children’s Rights Summit on Feb. 3, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

In his address to prominent leaders in the private and public sectors, he also highlighted how children are harmed through abortion, promoted by a “throwaway culture of waste and profit, in which everything is bought and sold without respect or care for life, especially when that life is small and defenseless.”

“In the name of this throwaway mentality, in which the human being becomes all-powerful, unborn life is sacrificed through the murderous practice of abortion,” Francis said. “Abortion suppresses the life of children and cuts off the source of hope for the whole of society.”

The Feb. 2–3 summit, titled “Love Them and Protect Them,” includes panels on the child’s right to resources, to education, to food and health care, to family, to free time, and to live free from violence.

Summit speakers include Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and author and Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck.

Italian Sen. Liliana Segre speaks to world leaders at the Children’s Rights Summit on Feb. 3, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Italian Sen. Liliana Segre speaks to world leaders at the Children’s Rights Summit on Feb. 3, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

Cardinal Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for relations with states, and other Vatican officials are chairing the panels.

Speaking in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Pope Francis also drew attention Monday to his concern that young people, themselves a sign of hope, are struggling to find hope in today’s world.

“Increasingly, those who have their whole life ahead of them are unable to approach it with optimism and confidence,” he said, pointing out the damage of “pathological individualism” in developed countries.

Pope Francis also spoke about the growing phenomenon in immigration of unaccompanied minors — including “the ‘indocumentados’ [undocumented] children at the border of the United States, those first victims of that exodus of despair and hope made by the thousands of people coming from the south toward the United States of America, and many others.”

Before the start of the summit on Monday, Pope Francis met briefly with a group of children from different countries who gave him a letter saying “together with you we want to cleanse the world of bad things, color it with friendship and respect, and help you build a beautiful future for everyone!”

The pontiff will also deliver the summit’s closing remarks on the afternoon of Feb. 3.

Love and light: Pope Francis reflects on Christ’s presentation

Pope Francis delivers his Angelus address from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Feb. 2, 2025, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Feb 2, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).

In a profound reflection delivered during Sunday’s Angelus prayer, Pope Francis emphasized how Jesus Christ reveals the ultimate criterion by which all history is judged: love.

“Whoever loves lives, whoever hates dies,” the pope told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

The Holy Father also renewed his urgent appeal for peace in conflict zones worldwide, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province, where armed groups continue to terrorize communities and millions have been displaced. “War destroys, devastates everything, takes lives, and leads to a disregard for life itself,” he said, adding that “war is always a defeat.”

Drawing from the Gospel of Luke (2:22-40), which recounts Mary and Joseph bringing the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, Pope Francis focused his catechesis on three significant aspects of Christ revealed through Simeon’s prophecy: salvation, light, and a sign of contradiction.

“God is present among his people — not because he dwells within four walls, but because he lives as a man among men,” Francis explained, highlighting the radical newness of this moment in salvation history.

The pope noted how Mary and Joseph were “deeply moved and astonished” as Simeon identified Jesus through these three significant words: salvation, light, and a sign of contradiction.

Explaining the first aspect, Francis emphasized that Jesus embodies universal salvation, calling it “an awe-inspiring truth emphasizing that God’s redemptive love is fully embodied in one person.”

Regarding the second characteristic, the pope described how Jesus illuminates the world “much like the rising sun, dispelling the darkness of suffering, evil, and death” that continues to afflict humanity today.

Finally, addressing Jesus as a sign of contradiction, Francis explained how Christ reveals the deeper truths of human hearts, with history ultimately judged by the criterion of love.

Concluding his reflection, the pope encouraged the faithful to examine their spiritual expectations, asking: “What am I waiting for in my life? What is my greatest hope? Does my heart desire to see the face of the Lord?”

He then invited all to pray together that Mary “may accompany us through the lights and shadows of history on our journey to the Lord.”

Pope Francis calls consecrated religious to be ‘bearers of light’ amid modern challenges

Pope Francis presides over First Vespers for the World Day for Consecrated Life in St. Peter's Basilica, surrounded by bishops, priests, and religious men and women on Feb. 1, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Anhelina Martsisheuskaya/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Feb 1, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis urged consecrated men and women to become “bearers of light” in today’s world through their faithful witness of the evangelical counsels as he celebrated first vespers for the World Day for Consecrated Life in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Speaking to thousands of religious on Saturday evening, the pope outlined how poverty, chastity, and obedience can transform society through God’s love, drawing from the biblical theme “See... I have come to do your will, O God” (Heb 10:7).

Religious sisters attend the celebration of first vespers on the eve of the World Day for Consecrated Life at St. Peter's Basilica on Feb. 1, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Anhelina Martsisheuskaya/CNA
Religious sisters attend the celebration of first vespers on the eve of the World Day for Consecrated Life at St. Peter's Basilica on Feb. 1, 2025, at the Vatican. Credit: Anhelina Martsisheuskaya/CNA

The World Day for Consecrated Life, celebrated annually on Feb. 2, takes on special significance this year as the Church prepares for the Jubilee of Consecrated Life scheduled for October. The celebration coincides with the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and is marked by the symbolism of light.

In his homily, the pope emphasized how evangelical poverty liberates religious from worldly attachments, enabling them to become “a blessing for others” by embracing “simplicity, generosity, sharing, and solidarity.” He warned against the dangers of “selfishness, greed, dependence, and violent use” of material goods.

Pope Francis presides over first vespers for the World Day for Consecrated Life flanked by monsignors at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Feb. 1, 2025. Credit: Anhelina Martsisheuskaya/CNA
Pope Francis presides over first vespers for the World Day for Consecrated Life flanked by monsignors at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Feb. 1, 2025. Credit: Anhelina Martsisheuskaya/CNA

“What a balm it is for the soul to encounter religious women and men capable of a mature and joyful relationality of this kind!” Francis said during the evening prayer service. He compared consecrated persons to a “Bride before her Spouse... surrounded by his light.”

The Holy Father noted that consecrated chastity, rooted in the Trinity, offers a powerful witness in a world often marked by “superficial relationships and selfish affectivity.” Religious communities must provide ongoing formation to help members fully live this gift without “unhealthy expressions of dissatisfaction,” he added.

Consecrated men and women capture moments from Pope Francis’ passage through St. Peter’s Basilica during the celebration of first vespers, Vatican City, Feb. 1, 2025. Credit: Anhelina Martsisheuskaya/CNA
Consecrated men and women capture moments from Pope Francis’ passage through St. Peter’s Basilica during the celebration of first vespers, Vatican City, Feb. 1, 2025. Credit: Anhelina Martsisheuskaya/CNA

Regarding obedience, Francis highlighted its role as an “antidote to isolated individualism” in an age dominated by ceaseless words and images but little listening. This counsel fosters “active listening” and helps people discover their purpose in “God’s greater plan,” he said, particularly in families, workplaces, and social networks.

The pope concluded by calling consecrated men and women to return to the origins of their vocation through renewed Eucharistic adoration. “We are too practical, we want to do things, but ... adore,” he urged. “There must be the capacity for adoration in silence.”

Catholics worldwide are invited to pray Sunday for vocations to consecrated life.

A member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard stands at attention during the first vespers celebration at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Feb. 1, 2025. Credit: Anhelina Martsisheuskaya/CNA
A member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard stands at attention during the first vespers celebration at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Feb. 1, 2025. Credit: Anhelina Martsisheuskaya/CNA