Pope: ‘We need an ever more missionary Roman Curia’

Leo XIV met with cardinals and heads of Vatican dicasteries. In his address, he remembered Francis’s “prophetic voice". Citing Evangelii Gaudium, he reflected on two "fundamental aspects" of the Church: mission and communion. Structures "must not weigh down [. . .] the dynamism of evangelization”. The authorities are called to be "the leaven of fraternity," without masks or subterfuge.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Leo XIV began his address to the Roman Curia this morning, as is customary when exchanging Christmas greetings, with a tribute to his "beloved predecessor."

Speaking about Francis, who “this year concluded his earthly life," the pontiff mentioned his “prophetic voice" that gave "impetus to evangelization, and to be a joyful Church, welcoming to all and attentive to the poorest.”

It was precisely from his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, the first from the Argentine pope, promulgated in 2013, that his successor drew inspiration to reflect with the Roman Curia on two "fundamental aspects" in the Church today: mission and communion.

“By her very nature, the Church is outward-looking, turned toward the world, missionary," Leo XIV told cardinals and heads of Curia dicasteries.

The pope, who served as a missionary in Peru, spoke about this in the speech he gave after his election on 8 May. At the time, he said that he hoped to see a “Church that builds bridges and encourages dialogue, a Church ever open to welcoming”.

Today, he reiterated that “the Church exists to invite and gather all people to the festive banquet that the Lord prepares for us,” adding that the apostolic exhortation on the joy of the Gospel still “encourages us to make progress in the missionary transformation of the Church”.

“This missionary character flows from the fact that God himself first set out toward us and, in Christ, came in search of us,” he explained. The first “exodus” is therefore undertaken by God, who went out to meet humanity.

“The mystery of Christmas proclaims precisely this: the Son’s mission consists in his coming into the world”. Such a mission “becomes a criterion for discernment in our lives”.

In the curia, “Structures must not weigh down or slow the progress of the Gospel or hinder the dynamism of evangelization,” said the pope; instead, we must ‘make them more mission-oriented’.“

It is from the “spirit of baptismal co-responsibility” that the work of the Curia, the complex of agencies that administers the Holy See, must be animated.

“We need an ever more missionary Roman Curia, in which institutions, offices and tasks are conceived in light of today’s major ecclesial, pastoral and social challenges, and not merely to ensure ordinary administration,” Leo XIV told the gathered officials.

By favouring “communion”, this can happen. As Christmas reminds us, “Jesus came to reveal the true face of God as Father, so that we might all become his children and therefore brothers and sisters to one another,” the pope said.

With God’s love, it is possible to be “a sign of a new humanity – no longer founded on selfishness and individualism, but on mutual love and solidarity.” Acquiring this capacity is an “urgent task both ad intra and ad extra," he added.

Ad intra, inward, means that this challenge calls for "conversion,” while "apparent calm" often hides "forces of division," which can lead to the "temptation of swinging between two opposite extremes.”

“Yet we are the Church of Christ, his members," the pope added, citing the motto he chose, In Illo uno unum, from Saint Augustine.

The officials of the Roman Curia are called to "be builders of Christ’s communion,” which entails a "synodal Church”. To reach this goal we must move "through concrete gestures and attitudes that ought to appear in our daily lives," Leo explained.

Unfortunately, sometimes “bitterness” comes “after many years of service in the Curia, [when] we observe with disappointment that certain dynamics – linked to the exercise of power, the desire to prevail, or the pursuit of personal interests – are slow to change.” Thus, is it possible “To have relationships of genuine fraternal friendship” in the curia?

“Amid daily toil, it is a grace to find trustworthy friends, where masks fall away, no one is used or sidelined, genuine support is offered, and each person’s worth and competence are respected, preventing resentment and dissatisfaction.”

Conversely, the “communion” ad extra, outwards, touches “a world wounded by discord, violence and conflict, where we also witness a growth in aggression and anger, often exploited by both the digital sphere and politics.”

Instead, “The Lord’s birth brings the gift of peace and invites us to become its prophetic sign in a human and cultural context that is too fragmented.”

This calls goes out to the curia as well as to the entire Church. For Leo, “we are not mere gardeners tending our own plot, but disciples,” indeed, “leaven of universal fraternity among different peoples, religions and cultures.”