Your Excellencies,

Dear priests and consecrated persons,

Dear members of the Synodal Assembly,

Dear catechumens and newly baptized, brothers and sisters,

I am pleased to meet with you and to have this opportunity, as part of my Apostolic Journey, to reflect upon the path you are pursuing in the Provincial Ecclesial Assembly.

I thank His Excellency Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris, who has recalled the historical and spiritual significance of this place, while also drawing our attention to Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, whose mysticism of everyday life has greatly influenced my own journey of faith.  Above all, I express my gratitude for the Instrumentum Laboris that you have presented to me.  It is an expression of an ecclesial journey involving the People of God, characterized by mutual listening and synodality.

Today, we are hosted by the Institut Catholique de Paris, an institution situated at the intersection of science and faith that has, for centuries, helped to educate minds and hearts in the service of the Gospel.  I would like to greet the faculty, students and staff of this university, as well as all the members of this Provincial Assembly who are involved in reflecting on the pastoral initiatives for welcoming the newly baptized and catechumens, and on the life of the Church.

Having observed your work closely — and, more importantly, having listened to the testimonies of Jaodie Josué, Marielle, and Sophie — I am filled first and foremost with deep gratitude for God’s unfathomable work.  Like you, and together with you, I am struck by the number of people returning to the threshold of the faith, and by the many adults seeking the sacraments of Christian initiation.

It may seem paradoxical that this phenomenon, in which so many people are rediscovering the Gospel and embracing the faith, is taking place against the backdrop of a society like that of France, which is marked by a deeply secularized culture.  Your experience and your testimonies, dear catechumens and newly baptized, are a tangible sign of the action of God’s grace, which far surpasses statistical and sociological analysis.  This phenomenon, which contradicts every defeatist attitude and what Pope Francis called “sterile pessimism” (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 84–86), must be welcomed with a spirit of responsibility.

In fact, we are called to reach out to our brothers and sisters, rediscovering God’s own way of acting, which is characterized by closeness, compassion and tenderness.  With pastoral tenderness and fraternal charity, we must recognize, welcome and protect the small flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in the darkness of the night, the tiny seed that strives to grow even amid the thorns.

As we marvel at what is taking place in the lives of so many of our brothers and sisters, we must not become complacent or naively optimistic.  On the contrary, we must remain committed, open to searching, asking ourselves questions and implementing concrete pastoral initiatives.  It is the Holy Spirit that inspires your Synodal Assembly, and more broadly the life of the Church in France.  Filled with wonder at God’s surprising work, what is that we must we do, and where is the Spirit leading us with regard to accompanying catechumens, the newly baptized and those “beginning anew”?

First of all, I would like to recall an expression used by the French Episcopate a few years ago, and urge you to envision and embody a Church in a “state of initiation” — one that supports catechumens, the newly baptized and those returning to the faith, offering them, over time, solid and steadfast guidance.  Indeed, Christian initiation as a whole has been at the center of pastoral efforts since the years following the Second World War.  Even then, there were numerous proposals, and the theological and liturgical developments of those years largely contributed to the renewal of the catechumenate programs during the Second Vatican Council.  Although the circumstances today are different, you can draw upon this deeply rooted pastoral tradition regarding the accompaniment of catechumens.  Moreover, let us not forget that the practice already in place was further strengthened in 1996, the year in which both the Letter to the Catholics of France and the latest French edition of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults were published.

Dear brothers and sisters, being “in the process of initiation” means welcoming those who are newly seeking God, and discovering in them both an opportunity and a mission.  The opportunity lies in the fact that, thanks to them, the community of believers can renew its own journey of faith and experience the joy of the Gospel in a new way.  The mission, however, consists in nurturing them and offering guidance, even after they have received the sacraments.  We must joyfully welcome those who come to us, build on their spiritual experience, respect their personal history, and foster the essential proclamation of the kerygma, even drawing upon the forms they are familiar with from their own personal or communal journey.  Moreover, let us not forget that many of these people will later ask the same question we heard in Marielle’s testimony: How can one avoid the post-baptismal emptiness?

It is therefore necessary to accompany and fully integrate these people into our communities and prayer gatherings after Baptism, offering them a welcoming environment and a formation that is as comprehensive as possible — one capable of embracing the various aspects of Christian life and fostering harmony between faith and life.  As newly baptized persons, they need to deepen their understanding of the foundations of the Christian faith, receive adequate formation in biblical and theological matters, and discover ever more fully the richness of doctrine and the various dimensions of Christian moral action that corresponds to the profession of faith.

Finally, they also need to be initiated and introduced into the liturgical life of the Church.  As we have heard in the testimonies, for some, the celebration of liturgical rites has been a point of entry into the mystery of the faith itself.  This is a fundamental aspect of the life of the Church, which requires pastoral care that is grounded in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.  Indeed, the liturgy cannot be regarded as something that comes “after” catechesis, where one simply applies what has been learned along the way.  On the contrary, it manifests and makes present Christ’s Paschal Mystery, and is, therefore, an event capable of revealing the meaning of the Good News and the very life of God.  Through its rhythms, languages and rites, the liturgy forms part of the very journey of conversion and preparation for the sacraments.

The role of formators is of fundamental importance in carrying out this mission.  As the ancient tradition of the Church teaches us, godfathers and godmothers, representatives of the community, must be prepared and specially trained to initiate the newly baptized.  As part of this formation, I would like to recommend a thorough understanding of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  At the same time, pastoral workers must be trained not only in the Bible, theology, liturgy and the spiritual life, but also in human qualities, so they know how to guide and accompany those people whose life journeys are more complex and less straightforward.  As we heard just a moment ago, some people come with a simple spiritual thirst, a search for meaning, and an attraction to the Gospel, while others arrive burdened by painful experiences, situations of loneliness, and profound difficulties.  It is here that a style of closeness, compassion and tenderness takes on its full meaning, and we must strike a wise balance in order to welcome them and listen to them, while also encouraging them to face the challenging demands of the faith.  It is a journey in which we must respect each person’s pace, proceeding gradually and carefully with fraternal accompaniment.  It means adopting the style of “walking together.”  Along the pathways of the Christian faith, we enrich one another, we grow together as priests and laypeople, godparents and catechumens, pastoral leaders and the newly baptized.

I am reminded of what happened to Saint Augustine, one of the most famous catechumens in history.  He was introduced to the faith by Saint Ambrose, and his faith was but a tiny seed when he was baptized.  Yet that seed grew and multiplied, becoming a tree so large that, even today, we can find shelter beneath its branches.

Looking at you, dear catechumens and newly baptized persons, I see not only the fruits of the Holy Spirit, who set you on this path, but also the promise of fruitfulness for the Church in France.  In turn, be missionaries of the Gospel in this society!

May the great witnesses of this beloved land sustain you on your journey.  I think of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who teaches us, through her “little way,” how trust opens the doors to grace, and of Saint Martin of Tours, an emblematic figure of sharing and fraternal charity.  Together with the many other saints from this land of France, they remind us that mission is built today, above all, by remaining faithful to the Lord’s presence in daily life.

By welcoming one another, together may you form the living people of the Church in France, capable of passing on the faith.  Invoking upon all of you the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, the principal Patroness of France, and the intercession of Saint Genevieve and Saint Denis, the protectors of this city, I cordially impart my Blessing.

Thank you, and may your journey be blessed!