Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
dear priests, men and women religious,
dear Catholic pilgrims from Russia!

I warmly greet all of you who have come for your Jubilee pilgrimage. Indeed, the Holy Year that the Catholic Church is experiencing invites us to make a pilgrimage, since “Setting out on a journey is traditionally associated with our human quest for meaning in life” (Bull Spes non confundit , 5). At this time, we see thousands of people walking the streets of the Eternal City to cross the Holy Door, to pause at the tombs of the Apostles and the Martyrs, and to fill their hearts with hope along the many paths of faith that cross Rome.

Your presence is part of the journey of the many generations who have wanted to visit these places, where the heart of the Christian soul beats, where the events of faith – received and transmitted since the times of the Apostles, from which many peoples and nations have drawn abundantly and on which they still live today – are intertwined with the concerns and commitments of daily life. Alongside the monuments of ancient Roman civilization stand basilicas, churches, monasteries and many other tangible signs of a living faith, rooted in people’s hearts, capable of transforming consciences and motivating them to do good. Thus, this city can be a symbol of human existence, in which the “ruins” of past experiences, anxieties, uncertainties and worries are intertwined with the faith that grows every day and becomes active in charity, and with the hope that does not disappoint and encourages us because even on ruins, despite sin and enmity, the Lord can build a new world and renewed life. The sacred buildings of Rome evoke the spiritual reality: that through the sacrament of Baptism we too are “like living stones … built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pt 2:5).

Dear brothers and sisters, yes, it is true, each one of us is a living stone in the edifice of the Church. Every stone, albeit small, placed by the Lord in the right place, plays an important role for the stability of the entire construction. The Lord Jesus himself encouraged his disciples: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk 12:32).

After this Jubilee pilgrimage, you will return to your country and you will be called upon to continue the journey of Christian life, pastors and faithful together, without forgetting that you are all responsible for your local Church, bearing “one another's burdens” (Gal 6:2). May your families, your parish and diocesan communities provide an example of love, fraternity, solidarity and mutual respect for all the people among whom you live, work and study. In this way, the fire of Christian love can be kindled, capable of warming even the most hardened hearts.

Dear friends, almost a year has passed since Pope Francis blessed the icon of the Salus Populi Romani and gave it to your local Church, so that it may become the sign of the Holy Year. May the pilgrimage of this Icon in the Catholic dioceses of Russia be a source of comfort for you and for your families, especially the sick and the suffering. May it also be an invitation to draw hope from that encounter with God through prayer, the reading of the Holy Scripture, help for those in need and words of consolation. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Peace, who always goes before us in the pilgrimage of faith and hope, sustain you on the journey of your vocation and of Christian life! I will remember you in my prayers, and I bless you from my heart!

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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 17 October 2025