Address of the Holy Father

Dialogue between the Holy Father and the priests of Rome

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.

[Greeting address of the Cardinal Vicar]

Dear brothers,

I greet you with great joy, and I thank you for being here this morning. I thank the Cardinal Vicar for the words he addressed to me, and I cordially greet all of you: the members of the Episcopal Council, the parish priests, and all the presbyters present. And I say, if it is true that we are at the beginning of this Lenten journey, this is not an act of penance: for me at least, it is a great joy! And I say so sincerely!

At the beginning of the pastoral year, we let ourselves be inspired by what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well: “If you knew the gift of God” (Jn 4:10).

The gift, as we know, is also an invitation to live a creative responsibility. We are not merely inserted into the river of tradition as passive executors of a predefined pastoral plan but, on the contrary, with our creativity and our charisms, we are called to collaborate with God’s work. In this regard, the words that the Apostle Paul addresses to Timothy are enlightening: ‘I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you” (2 Tim 1:6). These words are addressed not only to the individual but also to the community, and today we can hear them addressed to us: Church of Rome, remember to rekindle the gift of God!

What does rekindle mean? Paul addresses this exhortation to a community that has in some ways lost its original freshness and its pastoral zeal; with the changing context and the passing of time, a certain weariness, some disappointment or frustration, a certain spiritual and moral decline can be discerned. And so the Apostle says to Timothy and to that community: remember to rekindle the gift you have received. This verb used by Paul – to rekindle – evokes the image of embers under the ashes and, as Pope Francis said, “suggests the image of one who breathes on the fire to revive the flame” (Catechesis, 30 October 2024).

We can also say this about the pastoral journey of our diocese: the fire is lit, but it must be rekindled again and again.

The burning fire is the irrevocable gift that the Lord has given us; it is the Spirit who has traced the path of our Church, the history and tradition we have received, and what we ordinarily carry forward in our communities. At the same time, we must humbly admit that the flame of this fire does not always retain the same vitality and needs to be rekindled. Pressed by sudden cultural changes and the scenarios in which our mission takes place, sometimes assailed by fatigue and the burden of routine, or discouraged by the growing disaffection with faith and religious practice, we feel the need for this fire to be fuelled and revived.

This applies in particular to some areas of pastoral life, which I would like to briefly indicate.

The first certainly relates to the ordinary pastoral care of parishes. And here, first of all I would like to share a thought of gratitude with you, recalling the words Pope Francis addressed to you in one of the last Chrism Masses: “Thank you for service. Thank you for the hidden good you do. … Thank you for your ministry, which is often carried out with great effort, with little recognition and is not always understood” (Homily at Chrism Mass, 6 April 2023). However, difficulties and misunderstandings can also offer an opportunity for reflection on the pastoral challenges to be faced. In particular, regarding the relationship between Christian initiation and evangelization, we need a clear change of direction. Indeed, ordinary pastoral care is structured according to a classic model that is concerned primarily with ensuring that the Sacraments are administered, but such a model presupposes that faith is in some way transmitted also by the surrounding environment, by society as well as the family environment. In reality, the cultural and anthropological changes that have taken place in recent decades tell us that it is no longer the case; on the contrary, we are witnessing a constant erosion of religious practice.

It is therefore urgent to return to proclaiming the Gospel: this is the priority. With humility, but also without letting ourselves be discouraged, we must recognize that “part of our baptized people lack a sense of belonging to the Church”, and this invites us to beware of “administering the sacraments apart from other forms of evangelization” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 63). Let us remember the questions of the Apostle Paul: “How are men … to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14). As in all large urban agglomerations, the city of Rome is characterized by constant mobility, by a new way of inhabiting the territory and experiencing time, by increasingly pluralistic and sometimes frayed relational and family fabrics. Therefore, it is necessary for parish pastoral care to refocus on proclamation, to seek ways and means to help people reconnect with the promise of Jesus. In this context, Christian initiation, often modelled on school rhythms, needs to be reviewed: we need to experiment with other ways of transmitting the faith outside the traditional paths, in order to try to involve children, young people and families in new ways.

A second aspect is this: learning to work together, in communion. To give primacy to evangelization in all its multiple forms, we cannot think and act in a solitary way. In the past, the parish was more closely linked to the local area and included all those who lived there; today, however, models and lifestyles have shifted from stability to mobility, and many people, in addition to work reasons, move for various kinds of experiences, living relationships beyond the territorial and cultural boundaries to which they belong. The parish alone is not enough to initiate a process of evangelisation capable of reaching those who cannot participate adequately. In a large territory such as Rome, we must overcome the temptation of self-referentiality, which generates overwork and dispersion, in order to work together more, especially between neighbouring parishes, pooling our charisms and potential, planning together and avoiding overlapping initiatives. Greater coordination is needed which, far from being a pastoral expedient, is intended to express our priestly communion.

A final aspect I would like to emphasize: proximity to the young. Many of them – as we know – “live without any reference to God and the Church” (Address to participants in the Plenary Session of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, 29 January 2026). It is therefore a question of understanding and interpreting the profound existential unease that dwells within them, their confusion, their many difficulties, as well as the phenomena that involve them in the virtual world and the symptoms of a worrying aggressiveness, which sometimes leads to violence. I know that you are aware of this reality and are committed to addressing it. We do not have easy solutions that guarantee immediate results, but as far as possible, we can listen to young people, be present for them, welcome them, and share a little of their lives. At the same time, since these issues affect various dimensions of life, let us also try, as parishes, to dialogue and interact with local institutions, schools, specialists in the field of education and the human sciences, and with those who care about the destiny and future of our young people.

And speaking of youth, I would like to offer a word of encouragement to younger priests – most of you are here, aren't you? – who often experience first-hand the potential and struggles of their generation and of this era. In a more difficult and less rewarding social and ecclesial context, there is a risk of quickly exhausting one’s energy, accumulating frustration and falling into loneliness. I urge you to be faithful every day in your relationship with the Lord and to work with enthusiasm even if you do not see the fruits of your apostolate right now. Above all, I invite you never to close yourselves off: do not be afraid to share your experiences, even your fatigue and your crises, especially with confreres who you believe can help you. All of us, of course, are called to an attitude of listening and attention, through which we can live priestly fraternity in a concrete way. Let us accompany and support one another.

Dear friends, I am happy to have shared this moment with you. As I recently recalled, our first duty is “safeguarding and nurturing a vocation through a constant journey of conversion and renewed fidelity, which is never a purely individual path but commits us to caring for one another” (Apostolic Letter A Fidelity that Generates the Future, 13). In this way, we will be shepherds after God’s own heart and we will be able to serve our diocese of Rome in the best possible way. Thank you!

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Dialogue between the Holy Father and the priests of Rome

 

Cardinal Baldo Reina

Thank you, Holy Father, for what you have said to us. It will certainly be a source of further reflection. We also thank you for the time you will now devote to us. You mentioned your willingness to engage in dialogue with the priests. Many would have liked to ask you numerous questions. We have grouped them into four categories according to age group. The first will be Fr. Francesco Melone, one of the priests you ordained on 31 May, who will ask you a question about what you said at the end of your speech, namely about the struggles of young clergy. After him, Fr Giacomo Pavanello, who is parish priest at San Gregorio Magno alla Magliana, a parish of about 40,000 inhabitants, will ask a question about the pastoral challenges of our time. Then Don Romano De Angelis, who has been parish priest in several parishes in the city and for some months now has been one of the chaplains at the Bambin Gesù Paediatric Hospital, will address the theme of priestly fraternity, which was also a theme you addressed. Finally, Don Tonino Panfili, who has been involved in consecrated life for many years in the Vicariate and is currently administrator of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, will ask you questions about elderly priests. In this regard, we remember at this moment our elderly sick confreres who are at the San Gaetano retirement home at Divino Amore. Som the four of them will in some way speak on behalf of everyone. Thank you.

First question

Good morning, Holy Father. I address these words to you on behalf of the young priests of our diocese, even though you have already answered many of the questions we have in our hearts. Thank you! In most cases, we carry out our pastoral ministry alongside the young people of our communities. We sense in them a great desire for depth and intimacy with God, as well as a need for listening and communion. But at the same time, we see in them numerous relational and emotional wounds, often accompanied by anxiety and fear, sadness and loneliness. Sometimes, therefore, it seems easier, and perhaps for us priests even more gratifying and convenient, to take care mainly of the emotional level, anaesthetizing the pain through sensational events and strong emotions, rather than helping them to enter into dialogue with God. This relationship, however, is not ostentatious, noisy, crowded with large numbers or mediated by charismatic leaders, but is nourished in the privacy of prayer, making us not protagonists but ministers of confidence with the Lord. Only friendship with Jesus fills our loneliness, as you yourself recalled on 10 January when you welcomed the young people of Rome and their educators here. I therefore ask you, Holy Father, what you would advise to us young priests in order to embody the Gospel in today’s world, in particular in the midst of our young people, presenting ourselves to them as credible adults, without however turning evangelization into entertainment and discernment into amusement? Thank you.

Answer from Pope Leo XIV

Good. The first thing I would like to say is that it is a condition, a reality of society today, that in a certain sense we cannot change, but we must keep our eyes open. It is the reality of families and the challenges we face with young people today, precisely because they often come from families that have experienced serious crises, the absence of a father, divorced or remarried parents, many who have also experienced abandonment, the difficulties that young people have to face in the life we live today. Therefore, for the priest, accompanying these young people also means knowing their reality, being close to them in this sense, accompanying them, but not just being one of the young people. This is also important: the witness of the priest. The young priest can offer young people a model of life, that being a friend of Jesus can truly fill their lives. But this means that the priest himself, whether young or not so young, lives a life of friendship with Jesus, in order to offer these young people not only an example but an experience of life that could change the lives of young people. Then, I also think that the spirit of evangelization, which we spoke about a few minutes ago, must also be applied to the young.

In the past, all young people came to the parish. Surely many of your parishes have an oratory, a place where young people gather and play. Some still come, but we cannot be satisfied with only those who come to the parish. Therefore, perhaps with the young people themselves, we need to organize, think, and seek initiatives that can offer a way out. Pope Francis spoke a lot about the Church reaching out. We must go out, we must invite other young people, go out with them onto the streets; perhaps offer different ways, activities... Sport can also be a path for inviting the young. Other activities, art, culture… Invite young people to come, to begin to get to know each other. Perhaps getting to know one another is first and foremost a human experience of friendship, that can gradually help to lead to an experience of communion. Many young people live in isolation, an incredible solitude, after the pandemic, but it did not begin there. With the famous smartphone, which probably all of us carry in our pockets today, we live alone even if they say, “No, my friend is here”, but there is no human contact. They live in a kind of distance from others, a coldness, without knowing the richness and value of truly human relationships. So there too we must seek to offer young people another kind of experience of friendship, of sharing and, little by little, of communion, and from that experience invite them to know Jesus, who invites us to be not his servants but his friends.

To do all this takes a lot of time, sacrifice, and reflection, to see how to reach these young people who today are often led away to a terrible life, drug addiction, delinquency, violence, difficulties, isolation... Not long ago, a young person asked me this question: “You talk a lot about communion and unity, why? What is the value of it?”. In other words, he did not even understand, in his own experience, that there is great value in coming out of loneliness and seeking friends and communion. So, I think that in this way, even young priests, who are closer to young people in age, culture and formation, can do a great service in proclaiming this message which, after all, is always the Gospel.

Second question

Your Holiness, good morning and thank you very much for this moment. I would like to ask you a question about the times we are living in, which are marked by a progressive marginalization of religion from the contemporary social landscape, especially in large cities such as Rome. How can we be effective in this postmodern culture in which we all live and breathe, without returning to patterns of the past that would be somewhat anachronistic? What should be the priority in our pastoral ministry in order to respond evangelically to the challenges of our time? To put it another way, the Gospel has always been inculturated, but today we are probably facing a new inculturation. How can we ensure that this inculturation is encouraged and accompanied, and not hindered, by our initiatives? Thank you.

Answer from Pope Leo XIV

One thing I am trying to figure out myself is how to respond to this challenge, which begins with the need to truly understand the community where I am called to serve. I speak from personal experience. I lived in Rome for four years in the 1980s, then for twelve years from 2000 to 2012-13, and now for three years, and every time I return to Rome, in a certain sense, I find another Rome. There are many things... The “eternal city”, let’s say, the streets, are the same, the potholes are the same, but life has changed so much. So, in order to serve as Bishop of Rome, I thought a lot about this when we went to Ostia last Sunday to talk to these people. We need to start by getting to know their reality as thoroughly as possible. I cannot even bring continuity: if I am transferred from one parish to another, I cannot think, “This worked there, let's continue doing the same things”. If you want to love someone, you must first get to know them. If you want to love and serve a community, it is very important to know it.

And there are many realities in this world of mobility, which I have spoken about a little, that are constantly changing. And so it takes an effort on the part of parish priests, priests, and all those who collaborate in the parish council to really see what the challenges are at this moment in this place, in this parish, which we need to see and know a little.

Then, regarding the reality of today’s world, I have not yet spoken about a reality that comes to us even if we do not want it: artificial intelligence, the use of the internet, which is also present in the life of the priest. Incidentally, I invite you to resist the temptation to prepare homilies with artificial intelligence! Just as all the muscles in the body die if we do not use them, if we do not move them, the brain needs to be used, so our intelligence, your intelligence, needs to be exercised a little so as not to lose this ability. But it takes much more than that, because to give a true homily, which is to share the faith, AI will never be able to share the faith! This is the most important part: if we can offer a service that is, let’s say inculturated, in the place, in the parish where we are working, people want to see your faith, your experience of having known and loved Jesus Christ and his Gospel. And this is something we must cultivate continuously.

And so I say very sincerely, in response to all questions, that part of the answer is the importance of a life of prayer. Not just the routine of reciting the breviary as quickly as possible, which I also carry on my mobile phone, but the time to be with the Lord, to listen to the Word of God, to pray the Psalms, this praise to the Lord. But also the ability to enter into dialogue, to truly listen and to express the difficulties I carry in my heart: “Why, Lord, what do you want from me? What can I do?” Then, with this experience of a life authentically rooted in the Lord, we can offer something that is not ours. It is not because I am that I offer what I am; this is often a deception on the internet, on TikTok, and we want to be ourselves: “I have so many followers, so many likes, because they see what I'm saying...”. It is not you: if we are not transmitting the message of Jesus Christ, perhaps we are mistaken, and we need to reflect very carefully and with great humility on who we are and what we are doing. But with this attitude of love, service, humility and listening, we can truly discover what we can do to respond to this community where we are called to serve.

Third question

Holy Father, in these 39 years of priestly ordination, I have been able to experience that priestly fraternity is possible, and it is beautiful. This is also because in our presbyteries in Rome, we have the opportunity to welcome priests from other dioceses, who are a treasure, not only for the help they give but also for nourishing priestly fraternity. And it is true that in being together, we experience what Saint John Berchmans said: “Community life is a great penance, but I have experienced that it is also a source of immense joy”. Three simple episodes: after feeling unwell one afternoon, I realized the next morning that my confreres, without saying anything, had organized themselves during the night into hourly shifts to come and discreetly check on me and see how I was doing. Another episode that struck me was when my mother died – I am an only child, my father had already died – a young brother, seeing me a little upset, said to me: “Romano, remember that as long as I am alive, you will never be alone in life”. I also experienced a painful moment, a painful misunderstanding, and there the Gospel enlightened me: to pray for that person, for that brother, and to ask the Lord to bless him. And, after a few months, the joy of the message of reconciliation. So, faced with this, I say, however, there are dangers, Holy Father, which I propose to you, to ask for your advice and some suggestions. The first is the difficulty of being oneself for fear of gossip, of being sold for thirty pieces of silver, so that someone can make themselves look good by telling stories. Then, the different sensibilities we may have are certainly a treasure, but there is the temptation, instead of turning them into opportunities, to form opposing teams that fight each other. And then, what seems to me to be the greatest danger, which is that of jealousy: that is, being unable to rejoice in the abilities of a brother, who risks becoming an enemy simply because he is appreciated and successful in his pastoral work. Sometimes, the somewhat bitter words of a brother come to mind, but they are somewhat relevant: “If you want to hurt someone, speak well of them”, because then you expose them to being hurt. But surely you can give us some valuable guidance on how to make the most of all this. Thank you, Holy Father!

Answer from Pope Leo XIV

Thank you. I could say, like the professor: “But you have already answered your own question, and so…”. I will start with something truly painful – I would say negative – that is rather like one of the “pandemics” of the clergy at a universal level, at times. It is called the invidia clericalis, which is when a priest sees that another has been called to be parish priest of a larger, more beautiful parish, called to be vicar, called I don’t know... then relationships are broken; and not only that, but also with gossip, criticizing, talking... It destroys instead of seeing how to build bonds, bridges of friendship, of priestly fraternity. So, I say this right away to put it aside, but let us be careful, please, about this reality. We are all human, we have feelings, emotions, many things, but as priests — and I hope already from the seminary — we can give models of life, where priests can truly be friends, brothers, and not enemies or indifferent to one another. And I don't know which is worse: being an enemy or being indifferent to another, there is something to consider in both.

I have seen beautiful examples of priestly fraternity, and I will mention a few, because they can be useful for everyone, young and old alike. A priest in Chicago had made a pact with his seminary companions on the day of their ordination: every month – I don’t know, they chose the fourth Thursday, I don’t know... – every month, once a month, they would meet. It was a “class” I will mention a few, because they can be useful for everyone, young and old alike. A priest in Chicago had made a pact with his seminary companions on the day of their ordination: every month – I don't know, they chose the fourth Thursday, I don't know... – every month, once a month, they would meet. It was a ‘class’ of a good number of priests, and I got to know them when one of them, who was already an auxiliary bishop in Chicago, was 93 years old, and those who had survived to that age still gathered. They wanted to continue this beautiful friendship they had formed in the seminary throughout their lives. But it was not just a gathering, it was an experience of prayer, in which they dedicated a moment of the day to prayer, then to study. of a good number of priests, and I got to know them when one of them, who was already an auxiliary bishop in Chicago, was 93 years old, and those who had survived to that age still gathered. They wanted to continue this beautiful friendship they had formed in the seminary throughout their lives. But it was not just a gathering, it was an experience of prayer, in which they dedicated a moment of the day to prayer, then to study.

And here I want to say something else to everyone: that study in our lives must be permanent and continuous. When I hear someone say to me – this is historical, a priest told me –: “I haven't opened a book since I left the seminary”. My goodness, I thought, how sad! And how sad for his faithful, who have to listen to God knows what. We also need to keep up to date, and that group of priests, at their monthly meeting, would say to each other, in turn, “It’s your turn, choose an article, something”. The person would then send it to everyone in advance, everyone would read it, and then when it was time to share, they would talk about theology, pastoral care, new initiatives, the reality of the Church, etc. It was a beautiful thing. And it was their own initiative.

And here, then, is another very important point: if I sit here and say, “No one comes to visit me ” — which may happen to some of you — let us not be afraid to knock on someone else’s door, to take the initiative, to say to our companions or to a group of friends, to some of them: “Why don’t we get together every now and then to study together, reflect together, have a moment of prayer and then a good lunch?”. The parish priest with the best cook can invite others, so you can have a good lunch together. The ones I’m talking about, the priests in Chicago, all the diocesan priests there play golf. So, in the summer, they also went to play some sports together. The thing is, someone has to take the initiative. Perhaps it cannot be with everyone – I am also very realistic here – God made us all different, thank God! No two people are the same, so to speak, but I feel more comfortable with this one or that one. The other one is a good person, but I will not have the trust – which is what you said in your question – you cannot tell your whole life story to anyone who passes by. You need to find some people with whom to share an experience, to perhaps have the chance to form a friendship, a fraternal relationship with a little more depth, and to share your life, so that you don’t find yourself alone. Like this young priest who said to you: “As long as I am here, you will never be alone”. We should try to build fraternal priestly relationships in this sense too. It will not always be the parish priest with his curates; perhaps a group of parish priests would be better, I don't know, we need to look at the reality. However, we need to create situations that break this tendency that leads us to loneliness and isolation from one another. We need to really try to take some time – obviously not every day – but with a certain regularity, to get together, and not via a screen. That is important, it can also have its value, but in person, being together, having a meeting, to share the joys and also the difficulties of life. Sharing experiences. There may be a time when one finds oneself in crisis, whether due to health or some other difficulty, and if one is alone, the crisis often takes us far away from what our life is. If I have a trusted group with whom I have shared an experience, I can continue to walk with them, if there is someone with whom to share difficulties, moments of trial, etc. So this would be a very concrete type of experience that we can still dream of today; this type of priestly life, to promote authentic priestly fraternity.

Fourth question

On the day of your election, Your Holiness, I realized that I was now one of the oldest priests. Even the Pope is a year younger than me! And when I attend meetings at the Vicariate, everyone is younger than me – the Cardinal, the Vice-Gerent, the Bishop, the Directors – and so it is a constant experience of this age, now maturity. In the parish there is bishop emeritus who is older than me, but there are three priests from various dioceses, and there we have a beautiful experience of fraternity, to continue this very important discussion. And these young people are a treasure. I therefore represent the generation of elderly priests; today I am the voice of all the priests who are advanced in years. Many feel loneliness after a life totally dedicated to the Gospel and the Church: after so many people, so much loneliness. Many, unfortunately, marked by illness, have necessarily stepped aside even before retirement. The question is twofold: what do you suggest to those of us who are alone and sick, and who now offer their fragility and their limitations, together with the Eucharistic Bread, to Jesus the victim? But I also ask you this, Your Holiness: how can we, as elderly priests in our presbyteries, help younger priests to remain spiritually young, enthusiastic in proclaiming the Word, passionate in building the Church, the bride of Christ?

Answer from Pope Leo XIV

One thing I would say is that, even if we cannot do everything perfectly, we must prepare ourselves in life, in a certain sense, to be able to accept, when the time comes, old age, infirmity, illness, and even loneliness. However, if one has lived a whole life with a certain spirit of dialogue, friendship, communion and fraternity, one can actually find very concrete answers to this experience of being alone and sick, for example. There are people – let us say this frankly – who, even as young people, go through life with a certain bitterness, having never known the experience of friendship, fraternity or communion. And so, even as young people, or from middle age onwards, they live with this bitterness, never happy with anything and always with this somewhat negative spirit.

If we live our whole life as a journey that takes us forward, even with the weight of years, often also – whether young or old – with illnesses, with these difficulties, we will have the ability, with God’s grace, to accept the cross, the suffering that comes, because we will do so with the same spirit of prayer and sacrifice we wanted to have on the day of our ordination to the priesthood, when we said to the Lord: “Yes, Lord, I want to follow you in everything and I will accept what life gives me as part of your will”.

So, what is needed there is a whole spirituality, which must be cultivated, even from the Seminary onwards. I cannot say to a 22-year-old: “Prepare yourself for when you reach 80”, but it is all a journey, it is all a way of entering life with a certain spirit of gratitude. I have not spoken about this yet, but it starts with gratitude for having been called to be priests. So often we forget how great our vocation is, and how important it is for the life of the Church. Not out of a sense of clericalism – “Here I am” – but because the Lord has called us to be his friends, disciples, servants of all his people, and this is beautiful! So, living with a spirit of gratitude from the first day of my priesthood will help me to live, even as an elderly person, as someone bearing the cross of illness, to say: “Thank you, Lord, for life, for the gift you give me”.

You know very well that in many countries – in Europe, in Italy… In Canada it is already legal – euthanasia is discussed in many places: the question of the end of life, people who no longer have a sense of purpose in life and are there with the cross of an illness and say: “I don’t want to carry this anymore, I would prefer to take my own life”. If we are so negative about our life, and at times with less suffering than many people endure, how can we say to them: “No, you cannot take your own life, you must accept...”? But then we behave in this way, very negative about everything. That is, we must be the first witnesses to the fact that life has great value. And gratitude throughout life is very important.

Humility too. Humility: the attitude of wanting to recognize that it is not me, it is the Lord who gave me life, it is the Lord who accompanies me and carries me in his arms, even in those moments when I am weakest. The Lord is there with us. And living with this spirit gives life, hope.

In addition to this, there is closeness. And here I would like to invite everyone present to think: surely we all know some elderly people, some sick people, priests, lay people, religious... who are going through moments of great difficulty. Let us call them, let us go and visit them. Let us also make an effort to help these people who are suffering. Institutionally, in the past, it was more common for the priest in the parish – I don’t know, say, every Thursday – to bring Communion and the Oil (of the Sick), to visit all the sick people in the parish. Today, with fewer priests and more elderly people, it has become a matter of: “Oh well, let’s send the lay people, they’ll do it”. It is a beautiful service that the lay people perform, bringing Communion to people’s homes, for example. But this does not mean that the priest can stay at home looking at the internet while others are visiting. That is, for us too, it is a service, an apostolate, a very important form of pastoral care to live this closeness with those who suffer.

Elderly priests also have a service to perform. Even if they are sick in bed, if they have lived a life of true service and sacrifice, they know very well that their prayer can also be a great service, a great gift. Their life still has great meaning. And they can still remember and accompany many people, situations and communities that need their prayers. To live that spirit – of course, if someone has not prayed for forty years and then says, “Here I am in bed, I don’t know what to do”, it is difficult – even there, we need to live a continuous formation of our spiritual life. It starts with preparation, before we become, let’s say, elderly and infirm.

And here I can add one more thing, for everyone, which can take different forms: let us not be afraid to continue the beautiful practice of spiritual accompaniment, of having someone in your life who knows you. A friend, fine. But often a good confessor, who may be a priest, a person of great spiritual wisdom, can accompany you and help you in times of great difficulty. We are all human, we all go through difficult times, pain of all kinds, but having someone we trust who can truly accompany us very closely, in our hearts, in our spirits, is also a great gift that we can recognize as a help in our lives. And some, I hope that many of you have this gift — not everyone has it — that you also have the gift of knowing how to accompany others when they are experiencing this kind of difficulty.

So, it is not just a period of old age, it is a whole lifetime that we must live in this journey together, walking with Jesus and growing in this spirit of faith, hope and authentic charity.

That was the last question. If you ask me anything else, I may not have any more answers today! But I want to say again, very sincerely, that I am very happy about this meeting with you. It is unfortunate that it cannot happen more often... As a diocesan bishop, I had a meeting with the priests every month, and I say this for the bishops. I heard of a diocese where the bishop arrived for the first ten minutes of the meeting with the clergy, then left... I hope it wasn’t you... but it was in another country! We need to know how to live and accompany and walk together, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, episcopal vicars, parish priests with their vicars, living this spirit. Not just what is written in a programme, but an authentic spirit of fraternity in this sense, and a commitment to do together what is our mission to serve in the Church. So, I sincerely wish you a good Lenten journey, which is a time of conversion and joy for all. And may we also have opportunities in the future to live in this spirit. We can conclude with the blessing.

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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 19 February 2026