Message for the Centenary Mission Day: “The world still needs missionaries”

Leo XIV's text for mission's Sunday published today on feast of the Conversion of St Paul, marking 100 years after its establishment in 1926. “One in Christ, united in mission” is the theme indicated by the pontiff.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - ‘The world still needs courageous witnesses of Christ, and ecclesial communities still need new missionary vocations, which we must always hold dear and for which we must pray to the Father continually. May He grant us the gift of young people and adults willing to leave everything to follow Christ on the path of evangelisation to the ends of the earth.’

Pope Leo XIV wrote this in his message for World Mission Day 2026, released today by the Vatican on the feast day of the Conversion of St Paul. The event will be celebrated on Sunday, 18 October 2026, and will have a special significance this year as it will mark the 100th anniversary of its first celebration, which took place at the behest of Pope Pius XI, who responded to the request of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the movement founded by Blessed Pauline Jaricot, to celebrate a day on which the whole Church would pray together for the proclamation of the Gospel in places where Jesus is not yet known.

For Mission Day 2026, Leo XIV has chosen the theme “One in Christ, united in mission”, which echoes the motto chosen for his pontificate, “In Illo uno unum”. In his message, he explains that ‘the Church's first missionary responsibility is to renew and maintain spiritual and fraternal unity among its members. In many situations, we witness conflicts, polarisation, misunderstandings and mutual distrust. When this happens even in our communities,’ he warns, "it weakens our witness. The evangelising mission that Christ entrusted to his disciples requires, above all, hearts that are reconciled and desirous of communion." In this perspective, he adds, it will be important to intensify ecumenical efforts with all Christian Churches, also seizing the opportunities offered by the joint celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Being ‘one in Christ,’ the Pope continues, calls us to ‘always keep our gaze fixed on the Lord, so that He may truly be at the centre of our personal and community life, of every word, action and interpersonal relationship.’ In this regard, he recalls the words of Paul VI in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi: ‘There is no true evangelisation unless the name, teaching, life, promises, Kingdom and mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God, are proclaimed.’ ‘This process of genuine evangelisation,’ notes Prevost, ‘begins in the heart of every Christian and spreads to all humanity.’

In his message, the pontiff also recalls the motto of Blessed Paolo Manna, PIME missionary and founder of the Pontifical Missionary Union: ‘The whole Church for the conversion of the whole world.’ ‘No baptised person,’ explains Leo XIV, ‘is a stranger or indifferent to the mission: everyone, according to their vocation and condition of life, participates in the great work that Christ entrusts to his Church. As Pope Francis has repeatedly recalled, the proclamation of the Gospel is always a choral, communal, synodal action.’ In this sense, the pontiff invites us to promote a missionary communion in which ‘local communities collaborate with one another and where cultural, spiritual and liturgical differences are fully and harmoniously expressed in the same faith.’ He recalls the important contribution made in this regard by the Pontifical Mission Societies.

‘If unity is the condition of mission,’ he continues, "love is its substance. The Good News that we are sent to proclaim to the world is not an abstract ideal: it is the Gospel of God's faithful love, incarnate in the face and life of Jesus Christ. Over the centuries, multitudes of Christians, martyrs, confessors and missionaries have given their lives to make this divine love known to the world. Thus, the Church's evangelising mission continues under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, until the end of time."

For this reason, the Pope gives “special thanks to today’s missionaries ad gentes: people who, like St Francis Xavier, have left their homeland, their families and every security to proclaim the Gospel, bringing Christ and his love to places that are often difficult, poor, marked by conflict or culturally distant. They continue to give themselves joyfully despite adversity and human limitations, because they know that Christ himself, with his Gospel, is the greatest treasure to be shared. With their perseverance, they show that God's love is stronger than any barrier."

But the mission is not only their task: ‘Inspired by these testimonies,’ he invites us, "let us all commit ourselves to contributing, each according to our vocation and the gifts we have received, to the great mission of evangelisation, which is always a work of love. Your prayers and your concrete support, especially on World Mission Day, will be of great help in bringing the Gospel of God's love to everyone, especially the poorest and most needy. Every gift, even the smallest, becomes a significant act of missionary communion."

Leo XIV concludes his message with a missionary prayer: ‘Holy Father,’ he writes, "grant us to be one in Christ, rooted in his love that unites and renews. May all members of the Church be united in mission, docile to the Holy Spirit, courageous in witnessing to the Gospel, proclaiming and embodying your faithful love for every creature every day. Bless the missionaries, support them in their efforts, and keep them in hope! Mary, Queen of Missions, accompany our evangelising work in every corner of the earth: make us instruments of peace, and grant that the whole world may recognise in Christ the light that saves. Amen."