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

Good morning and welcome!

Dear Cardinals,
Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
Dear brothers and sisters,

I welcome you with joy on the occasion of your Plenary Session. I cordially greet and thank the Prefect of the Dicastery, with the Superiors and the Officials. I am well aware of the valuable service you perform, with the aim – as the Constitution Praedicate Evangelium states – to “help the Roman Pontiff and the Bishops to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world by promoting and safeguarding the integrity of Catholic teaching on faith and morals … by drawing upon the deposit of faith and seeking an ever deeper understanding of it in the face of new questions” (no. 69).

Your task is to offer clarifications regarding the doctrine of the Church, through pastoral and theological guidance on often very sensitive issues. To this end, over the last two years the Dicastery has published several documents, of which the main ones are: the Note Gestis verbisque, on the validity of the Sacraments (2 February 2024), which offered clear instructions for resolving doubtful cases relating to their administration; the Declaration Dignitas infinita, on human dignity (2 April 2024), which reiterated the infinite dignity of every human being, seriously endangered nowadays, in particular by ongoing wars and an economy that prioritizes profit; the Norms for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena (17 May 2024), which enabled the resolution of cases relating to these events, including those concerning the spiritual experience of Medjugorje, to which the Note The Queen of Peace (19 September 2024) is specifically dedicated; the Note Antiqua et nova, prepared in collaboration with the Dicastery for Culture and Education (28 January 2025), which offers an extensive and precise consideration of the relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence; the doctrinal Note Mater Populi fidelis, on certain Marian titles referring to Mary's cooperation in the work of salvation (4 November 2025), which encourages popular Marian devotion, deepening its biblical and theological foundations, while offering precise and important clarifications for Mariology; and finally, the doctrinal Note Una caro. In Praise of Monogamy, on the value of marriage as an exclusive union and mutual belonging (25 November 2025), which explores in an original way the property of unity in marriage between a man and a woman.

All this work will certainly be of great benefit to the spiritual growth of the holy and faithful People of God. In the context of the epochal change we are experiencing, it offers the faithful a prompt and clear word from the Church, especially with regard to the many new phenomena appearing on the scene of history. It also gives valuable guidance to bishops on the exercise of their pastoral action, as well as to theologians, in their service of study and evangelization.

I appreciate, in particular, that in this “Plenary” you have initiated a fruitful discussion on the theme of the transmission of faith, a matter of great urgency in our time. Indeed, “we cannot overlook the fact that in recent decades there has been a breakdown in the way Catholics pass down the Christian faith to the young”, [1] and that, especially in contexts of longstanding evangelization, an increasing number of people no longer perceive the Gospel as a fundamental resource for their own existence, especially among the new generations. In truth, there are many young men and women who live without any reference to God and the Church, and while this causes pain in us as believers, it must also lead us to rediscover the “delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing”, [2] which is at the very heart of the life and mission of the Bride of Christ.

As I recalled on the occasion of the recent extraordinary Consistory, “we want to be a Church that does not look only at itself, that is missionary, that looks beyond itself, at others”; [3] a Church which proclaims the Gospel, especially through the power of attraction, as my predecessors Benedict XVI and Francis repeatedly emphasized. [4]

The foundation of the life of the Body of Christ is the love of the Father, revealed to us in the Son made man, present and working in us by the gift of the Spirit; therefore, “it is not the Church that attracts, but Christ; and if a Christian or an ecclesial community attracts, it is because through that ‘channel’ flows the lifeblood of Charity that cascades from the Heart of the Saviour”. [5]

The Church proclaims Christ, without self-promotion or particularism, and in her, each one is and must always and only recognize himself as “a simple and humble labourer in the vineyard of the Lord”. [6]

I would like to mention, before concluding, another service of yours, for which I am grateful and which I commend to your care: that of welcoming and accompanying, with every kindness and judgement, the Bishops and Superiors General called to deal with cases of crimes reserved to the Dicastery. This is a very delicate area of ministry, in which it is essential to ensure that the requirements of justice, truth and charity are always honoured and respected.

Dear friends, I would like to reiterate my gratitude to each of you for the valuable contribution you make to the life and work of the Dicastery and of the Church as a whole, especially when that contribution is offered in a humble and unobtrusive manner. As a sign of my gratitude, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to all of you and to your loved ones. Thank you.

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[1] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation  Evangelii gaudium (24 November 2013), 70.

[2] Cf. St. Paolo VI, Apostolic Exhortation  Evangelii nuntiandi (8 December 1975), 80; cit. in Francis, Apostolic Exhortation  Evangelii gaudium (24 November 2013), 10.

[3]  Impromptu words at the end of the first session of the Extraordinary Consistory, 8 January 2026.

[4] Cf. Benedict XVI,  Homily of the Holy Mass to inaugurate the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean (13 May 2007); Francis, Apostolic Exhortation  Evangelii gaudium (24 November 2013), 14.

[5]  Address on the occasion of the Extraordinary Consistory (7 January 2026).

[6] Benedict XVI,  Apostolic Blessing “Urbi et orbi” and first greeting (19 April 2005).