|
[DE -
EN -
ES -
FR -
IT -
PT]
DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
VENITE AD ME
Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter I
The Proclamation of the Father’s Love
Chapter II
The Light of Faith
Forms of Transmitting the Faith
The Family
The Ecclesial Community
Chapter III
The Epochal Change
The Crisis in the Transmission of the Faith
A New, Widespread Culture
Digital Technologies
New Frontiers of Evangelization
Chapter IV
Centrality of the Kerygma
Fostering an Experience of Faith
The Question of Language
Christian Formation
Chapter V
The Transmission of the Faith in Communities
Liturgy
The Role of Witness
Art and Beauty
The Stages of Life
Chapter VI
Faith and Culture
Chapter VII
Some Specific Areas of Attention
Chapter VIII
Personal Testimonies
From the Abyss of Addiction to the Freedom of Encounter with Christ
The “Reawakening” of the Kerygma: The Role of the Family and of Prayer
The Witness of Charity, Culture, and Beauty
Conclusion
1. [Venite ad me] “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily laden, and
I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). The Lord Jesus Christ presents himself
as a source of deep rest in the face of the weariness and toil of the human
heart. From this perspective, the transmission of the faith appears as an
encounter in which Christ draws near to each person in the concrete
circumstances of their life, granting them that true peace which can be found
only in him.
Introduction
2.
Jesus is the true light of the world, and whoever believes in him, the living
Risen One, overcomes the darkness of death and lives by the light of life (cf.
Jn 1:6–9; 8:12). This is the faith of the Church, and this is the faith
that every believer is called to spread to the ends of the earth. This task, the
transmission of the faith under today’s sociocultural conditions, is at the
heart of these Considerations.
3.
This responsibility of every believer in Christ, the true light of the world, is
a topic of great importance for the life and mission of the Church. Pope Francis
repeatedly urged the Dicastery to offer a reflection on this matter, and so it
initiated the ordinary procedure for preparing these Considerations.
Recent events—especially the accession of Pope Leo XIV to the See of Peter, the
celebration of the Jubilee, and the prospect of the upcoming Jubilee of
Redemption in 2033—have given even greater impetus to proceed more swiftly in
preparing this document.
4.
These Considerations are intended, above all, to take up anew, for the
whole ecclesial community, the invitation that the Holy Father Leo XIV extended
to the Italian bishops when he met with them in June 2025: “First of all, there
is a need for renewed zeal in the proclamation and transmission of faith. It is
a question of placing Jesus Christ at the center of our proclamation and of our
existence and, following the path indicated by
Evangelii Gaudium, helping
people to live out a personal relationship with him, to discover the joy of the
Gospel. In a time of great fragmentation, it is necessary to return to the
foundation of our faith, to the kerygma. This is the first major
commitment that motivates all the others.”[1] Therefore, as the Holy Father further observes, “today, evangelization
must, in particular, also grapple with the changed conditions and dynamics
surrounding the transmission of the faith from one generation to the next. In
some parts of the world, this transmission has all but ceased, and this requires
the ability to take on new challenges.”[2] The specific aim of this document is, therefore, to offer a focused
reflection and to suggest concrete paths for proclaiming the kerygma amid
the epochal change we are experiencing.
5.
Such a proclamation is capable of reawakening faith in those who have not
practiced it for some time (especially among adults and the younger
generations), or of fostering an experience of faith (fides qua) in those
who have not yet come to know Christ, without delving into the specific work of
catechesis and the formation of believers, both of which are called to provide
an orderly and gradual introduction to the Church’s doctrine (fides quae).
The reflection contained in these Considerations regarding fides qua
precedes the question of the transmission of the depositum fidei,
which this document does not claim to address exhaustively.
6.
In drafting these Considerations, the contributions of many National
Bishops’ Conferences have been truly invaluable; they responded with great
diligence to the Dicastery’s request to submit materials related to the theme of
the transmission of the faith.
7.
Of particular significance are the personal testimonies that the bishops sent to
us from those who, as young adults or later in adulthood, discovered or
rediscovered the Lord Jesus and his Gospel. Many of these are included in the
final chapter of these Considerations.
8.
One final clarification concerns the document’s genre: it is a set of
Considerations, not a Doctrinal Note. Its purpose, in fact, is
primarily to stimulate ecclesial reflection and pastoral commitment regarding
the transmission of the faith. For this reason, the text examines a variety of
points of view without, however, claiming to settle the matter, which remains
open to further analysis and development. This means that these
Considerations are not marked, as are other documents of the Dicastery for
the Doctrine of the Faith, by terminological precision and systematic treatment,
but instead allow a more discursive style, as is especially evident in the
section on personal testimonies mentioned above.[3]
Chapter I
The Proclamation of the Father’s Love
9.
Speaking of the mission of John the Baptist, the evangelist John describes him
as the witness to the light, as the one who must bear witness to the true
light—that light which alone has the power to enlighten every human being (cf.
Jn 1:6-9). This true light has a name: Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God
made man for the salvation of the world. He is the “true light of the world,”
and those who follow in his footsteps will never be lost in darkness but will
always find within themselves the full light of life (cf. Jn 8:12). This
is the heart of the Christian faith, and it is also the driving force that leads
believers—in every age, including our own—to pass on the faith they live.
10. Jesus is indeed the
true light that illuminates every person, for he has revealed what no one had
ever seen or could have seen: the unconditional love that dwells in the heart
of the Triune God. This is the good news of the Gospel of the Son—that
God is love, forever and for everyone (cf. 1 Jn 4:8). God is Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. This good news, unheard of until Jesus, can now lead us to
full salvation and happiness; at the same time, through the grace of the Holy
Spirit, it can bring to light and purify everything that might stand in the way
of the new life it opens up.
11. Even more radically,
Jesus proclaims the truth that, because of this love of the Father, there is no
human reality marked by failure or sin that cannot be restored to its original
purpose. Indeed, thanks to the continuous action of the Holy Spirit who acts in
ways known only to him,[4] the light and power of that love are always available to everyone, at
every time and in every place. Those who embrace this revelation leave the realm
of darkness behind forever, finally opening themselves to the light of life and
to a life of light.
12. Precisely for this
reason, Jesus’ entire life is marked by the desire to enlighten every human
being with the good news of God who is Love forever. He thus goes out to meet
others with an open and free heart and allows them to draw near to him. He
follows the paths of the men and women of his time and allows them to encounter
him. Those who seek him find him, and if they seek him, it is because they have
already been reached by Christ (cf. Phil 3:12). Jesus places no barriers
between himself and the people. He is always attentive, always present, never
distracted. And his word is never abstract. He continually seeks to direct
everyone’s heart and mind toward the true light of the Father’s love and mercy—a
love and mercy directed simply toward the good life of all. No one is excluded.
Everyone’s life is worthy of being lived to the fullest.
13. Moreover, those who
open themselves to the light of the revelation of God’s love receive from Jesus
a word of forgiveness, a word of liberation, a word of love, a word of freedom,
a word of life, and a word of hope (cf. Lk 4:18–19). Jesus stirs up in
all who come to meet him and open themselves to him with a sincere heart a
renewed interest in and love for life: for their own lives, the lives of others,
and the life of all that exists (cf. Jn 14:6). God’s love leads every man
and woman back to the good reasons for their existence in the world.
14. With this in his heart
and mind, Jesus, as described by the Evangelists, is always on the move. He does
not wait. He does not establish his own sanctuary or school. He moves about; he
travels. He enters the villages and towns of his people and his era. He spends
time with ordinary people, but also with those in positions of public,
religious, or political authority. Through these actions and words, Jesus
fulfills the revelation entrusted to the people of Israel (cf. Mt
4:12–17; Mk 1:14–15; Lk 3:21–22).
15. Particularly striking
is the way in which Jesus proclaims the Gospel of God, who is love always and
for everyone. His preaching contains numerous references to people’s daily
lives, the animal kingdom, and the world of trees, plants and flowers, just as
it abounds in references to the trades of his time, the preparation of food, and
children’s games. Jesus also demonstrates a remarkable familiarity with the use
of numbers and frequently draws on the construction of buildings or on the
weather; he knows the coinage of his day and is deeply conversant with the
various religious groups then present and connected in different ways with
Judaism. He is truly a man who “looks” attentively and constantly invites
everyone to “look” with the same gaze at the fabric of creation and human
history. This is, in truth, his unshakable certainty: when one’s heart is free
from all selfishness and useless anxiety, one can recognize the footprints of
God’s love even in the smallest and seemingly most insignificant event (cf.
Lk 12:22–34). It is precisely this love that leads Jesus to express himself
through the language of people’s daily lives.
16. It is not surprising,
then, that such preaching, while easily winning the hearts of ordinary people
who find it so close and familiar, disconcerts and, to some extent, unsettles
those who wield political and religious power. It is like a light that can
reveal every possible use and abuse of that power: “You know that the rulers of
the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It
will not be so among you” (Mt 20:25–26); “Woe also to you lawyers! For
you load people with burdens hard to bear” (Lk 11:46).
17. In carrying out his
mission, Jesus does not limit himself to proclaiming God’s unconditional love
but also bears concrete witness to it by showing a special predilection for all
those who expect almost nothing from anyone: neither from their relatives, nor
from their friends, nor from their fellow citizens, nor from their fellow
believers, and perhaps not even from the God of the Covenant of the Fathers.
Because of their suffering—caused by incurable illnesses or tragic reversals of
fortune—these people are often considered “the last” in society. Yet it is
precisely they who become “the first” in the heart of the Lord Jesus (cf. Mt
20:16). Indeed, it is these “last/first” whom Jesus invites, more than anyone
else, to draw near to the light that illuminates every man and woman—that is, to
the light of the Father’s love. Thus, through his closeness, his words, and his
miracles, Jesus rekindles in them the hope of being able to hope again, the
trust of being able to trust again, the possibility of having possibilities
again. He works in them the wonder of being able once more to believe in a
miracle for their own life.
18. In the course of his
preaching, Jesus almost inevitably comes into conflict with a religious and
political society that made the Law of Moses its structural foundation, yet in
whose concrete application attitudes of division and exclusion often prevailed.
While his Father in heaven causes the sun to rise on all alike (cf. Mt
5:45) and sends rain on all alike, discrimination and the separation of people
were widespread features of the political and religious environment of his time,
just as they are in ours. In bringing the light of a divine love that seeks to
reconnect each person with their own troubled existence, with others in their
community, and ultimately with God himself—with a view to a fraternity marked by
justice and peace—Jesus cannot help but clash with the powers of his time, since
his message possesses the force of authority (cf. Mk 1:27). By
proclaiming the loving face of God, Jesus removes any basis for that despotic
exercise of religious and political power that has forgotten its own nature as a
means of service and unity. God does not bless division, much less
discrimination. He is Father and loves every living being (cf. Wis
1:13–14). No human or religious law or authority can ever declare anyone
unworthy of his love or of the love of other human beings.
19. The tension between
Jesus’ words and deeds, and the incomprehension of the powers of his time,
reaches its climax in the decision of the religious and political authorities to
condemn him to death. His preaching, accompanied by extraordinary signs, must be
stopped and silenced forever. Thus, his death on the cross is decreed, with the
endorsement of the Roman authorities.
20. Yet, that death
sentence lacks the power to extinguish the “true light of the world.” In the
economy of salvation, that unjust instrument of execution becomes the highest
throne from which the Gospel message resounds with absolute clarity, and the
illuminating power of the Gospel of the Son is revealed to the whole world. And
that Gospel is this: God is love for everyone; God is mercy for everyone. This
is truly so for everyone, including those who condemn and put the Son to death.
The “yes” that God, in Jesus, says to humankind—which keeps the true light of
the world, his Son, brightly burning—can never be transformed into a “no.” The
love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for humanity is without
reserve, limit, measure, or, ultimately, boundary (cf. 1 Jn 4:7–8).
21. In the final moments
of Jesus’ earthly life, the wonderful words of the ancient and marvelous book of
the Song of Songs find their full realization: “Many waters cannot
quench love, neither can floods drown it” (8:7). The misunderstanding and
relentless hostility that led the leaders of the people to condemn Jesus—with
the full complicity of the Roman authorities—failed to extinguish his desire to
lead humanity out of darkness and to kindle within it the light of life. Indeed,
the good and great news of Christianity is precisely this: not even the power of
death could extinguish the true light of the world.
22. There is, therefore,
one fundamental certainty for Christians, without which, as the Apostle Paul
says, everything would be in vain: “If Christ has not been raised, then our
proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain” (1 Cor
15:14). This same awareness was also expressed during the Synod on Young People:
“Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our
world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life.”[5] This is what the Lord’s disciples, in every age, believe, proclaim and
bear witness to through their lives: Christ is alive and wills life for every
human being. He is with us always and will never abandon us (cf. Mt
28:20). No matter how far a person may stray from him, Jesus will never turn
away from that person. Through his Church, the Risen One always remains at
everyone’s side, ready to illuminate their existence with divine love, filling
it with life, strength, and hope. Ecclesial communion is today the privileged
place where Christ continues to allow himself to be encountered through men and
women who are progressively transformed by his very life.
23. To carry out her
mission of being the light of the world, the Church joyfully celebrates the
fulfillment of Christ’s great promise: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all
that I have said to you” (Jn 14:26); “He will testify on my behalf. You
also are to testify” (Jn 15:26–27). Without his action in the depths of
our hearts, it is impossible to transmit the true light of Christ, as the
Pentecost Sequence also reminds us: “Come, Father of the poor […] without your
strength, there is nothing in us.” We place our trust in him as we prepare to
seek the many ways of cooperating with his grace in the evangelization of our
time. We ask him for the fervor and joy needed to respond faithfully to this
call.
Chapter II
The Light of Faith
24. In light of what has
been said so far, we can better understand the foundation of Christianity as
expressed by Benedict XVI: “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical
choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, with a person who gives
life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”[6] That new horizon and decisive direction are marked by joy, as Pope Francis
reminds us at the beginning of
Evangelii Gaudium: “The joy of the gospel
fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his
offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and
loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew.”[7]
25. This, therefore, is
the heart of the Christian experience: an encounter with the Lord Jesus that
brings us into contact with the true light of divine love, keeps us from losing
our way in darkness, and leads us to life. It is precisely in this sense that we
can speak of the “light of faith,” as stated in Pope Francis’s
first encyclical of the same name, to the drafting of which Benedict XVI also
contributed: “The light of Faith: this is how the Church’s tradition speaks of
the great gift brought by Jesus. In John’s Gospel, Christ says of himself: ‘I
have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in
darkness’ (Jn 12:46). Saint Paul uses the same image: ‘God who said, ‘Let
light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts’ (2 Cor 4:6). The
pagan world, which hungered for light, had seen the growth of the cult of the
sun god, Sol Invictus, invoked each day at sunrise. Yet though the sun
was born anew each morning, it was clearly incapable of casting its light on all
of human existence. The sun does not illumine all reality; its rays cannot
penetrate to the shadow of death, the place where men’s eyes are closed to its
light. ‘No one—Saint Justin Martyr writes—has ever been ready to die for his
faith in the sun.’ Conscious of the immense horizon which their faith opened
before them, Christians invoked Jesus as the true sun ‘whose rays bestow life.’
To Martha, weeping for the death of her brother Lazarus, Jesus said: ‘Did I not
tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ (Jn
11:40). Those who believe, see; they see with a light that illumines their
entire journey, for it comes from the risen Christ, the morning star which never
sets.”[8]
26. The experience of
faith can thus be imagined as the vital and decisive encounter with that “true
sun” who is Christ, who frees us from darkness and fills human existence with
light. It is an experience of light that, by its very nature, radiates outward
to other lives, illuminating them with the same light; as they shine in turn,
they extend the reach of the original light: the true light of the world, which
is Christ. How can we fail to recall, in this regard, the words of Jesus himself
addressed to his disciples: “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14)?
27. It is precisely this
dynamism that we must keep in mind when reflecting on the delicate topic of the
transmission of the faith in the contemporary context, referred to here as a
time of epochal change. The text of
Lumen Fidei confirms this with great
precision: “Those who have opened their hearts to God’s love, heard his voice,
and received his light, cannot keep this gift to themselves. Since faith is
hearing and seeing, it is also handed on as word and light. Addressing the
Corinthians, Saint Paul used these two very images. On the one hand he says:
‘But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with
scripture—‘I believed, and so I spoke’—we also believe, and so we speak’ (2
Cor 4:13). The word, once accepted, becomes a response, a confession of
faith, which spreads to others and invites them to believe. Paul also uses the
image of light: ‘All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as
though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image’ (2
Cor 3:18). It is a light reflected from one face to another, even as Moses
himself bore a reflection of God’s glory after having spoken with him: ‘God… has
shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Christ’ (2 Cor 4:6). The light of Christ shines, as in a
mirror, upon the face of Christians; as it spreads, it comes down to us, so that
we too can share in that vision and reflect that light to others, in the same
way that, in the Easter liturgy, the light of the paschal candle lights
countless other candles. Faith is passed on, we might say, by contact, from one
person to another, just as one candle is lit from another. Christians, in their
poverty, plant a seed so rich that it becomes a great tree, capable of filling
the world with its fruit.”[9]
28. The same document, in
the following paragraph, then recalls that “the transmission of the faith not
only brings light to men and women in every place; it travels through time,
passing from one generation to another. Because faith is born of an encounter
which takes place in history and lights up our journey through time, it must be
passed on in every age.”[10] Thus, while on the one hand the transmission of the faith resembles the
kindling of one flame from another through what we might call personal contact,
on the other hand the community of disciples has always felt called to create
occasions for transmitting the faith—occasions when everyone could come into
contact with the true light of life. This light frees us from all darkness and
is found in the Lord Jesus. The disciples, therefore, felt a duty to pass on the
faith: a duty that must be preserved and honored from generation to generation.
29. The transmission of
the faith has its ultimate foundation in God’s initiative, who, in Christ,
revealed his face and entrusted to the Apostles the task of proclaiming the
Gospel to all nations. This mission, however, did not end with the apostolic
preaching but continues throughout history through the Church. The
Second
Vatican Council affirms, in fact, that “the Church, in her teaching, life and
worship, perpetuates and hands on to all generations all that she herself is,
all that she believes.”[11] The Church is thus the living historical subject in which the Gospel is
heard, preserved, celebrated, and continually made present anew under the action
of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, the faith is not transmitted primarily as a
body of doctrinal content or religious information, but as a form of ecclesial
life into which the believer is gradually introduced. The primary subject of the
transmission of the faith is, therefore, the Church in her entirety,[12] which, while ceaselessly receiving the gift of the divine Word,
communicates and bears witness to it through preaching, the liturgy, works of
charity, and the concrete experience of communion. It can thus rightly be said
that the Church “is a Mother who teaches us to speak the language of faith.”[13]
Forms of Transmitting the Faith
30. It is important to
state clearly that the most authentic force of the evangelizing mission of the
community of the Lord’s disciples remains the power of attraction, as
Benedict XVI recalled in his homily during the Holy Mass for the inauguration of the Fifth General Conference of the
Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean: “Christ’s mission is
accomplished in love. He has kindled in the world the fire of God’s love
(cf. Lk 12:49). It is Love that gives life: and so, the Church has been
sent forth to spread Christ’s Love throughout the world, so that individuals and
peoples ‘may have life, and have it abundantly’ (Jn 10:10). […] The
Church considers herself the disciple and missionary of this Love:
missionary only insofar as she is a disciple, capable of being attracted
constantly and with renewed wonder by the God who has loved us and who loves us
first (cf. 1 Jn 4:10). The Church does not engage in proselytism.
Instead, she grows by ‘attraction’: just as Christ ‘draws all to himself’
by the power of his love, culminating in the sacrifice of the Cross, so the
Church fulfills her mission to the extent that, in union with Christ, she
accomplishes every one of her works in spiritual and practical imitation of the
love of her Lord.”[14] Pope Leo XIV also embraced this reflection: “Today, I joyfully revisit
this theme and share it with you. I invite us to pay close attention to what
Pope Benedict signaled as the ‘power’ that drives this movement of attraction.
Indeed, this power is Charis, it is Agape, it is the love of God
that became incarnate in Jesus Christ and that, in the Holy Spirit, is given to
the Church, sanctifying all her actions. Furthermore, 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 Savior.”[15]
The Family
31. Among the settings in
which the Church is called to share the light of Christ and let it shine, the
family is the first and most essential place for the transmission of the faith.
Already in the New Testament, the role of family members in handing on the faith
is evident. To Timothy, for example, the Apostle Paul says: “I am reminded of
your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your
mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well” (2 Tim 1:5).
Pope Leo XIV also emphasized this aspect, saying: “In the family, faith is
handed on together with life, generation after generation. It is shared like
food at the family table and like the love in our hearts. In this way, families
become privileged places in which to encounter Jesus, who loves us and desires
our good, always.”[16]
32. Over the decades, as
Christian communities became established and consolidated, their active role in
transmitting the faith also emerged. With the spread of infant baptism,
communities and families have felt united in their shared responsibility for
introducing children to an encounter with the Lord Jesus. This reflects the
awareness that, while they receive life from their parents, in baptism they
receive “the grace by which to live it: faith. When we know that something is
essential, we immediately seek it for those we love. Indeed, who among us would
leave newborn infants without clothing or nourishment, waiting until they are
grown to choose how to dress and what to eat? Dear brothers and sisters, if food
and clothing are necessary for life, faith is even more vital, because in God,
life finds salvation.”[17]
33. In any case, there
remains the need for a deep integration between the Church and the family, as
Lumen Fidei clearly reiterates: “the structure of baptism, then, demonstrates the critical importance of
cooperation between Church and family in passing on the faith. Parents are
called, as Saint Augustine once said, not only to bring children into the world
but also to bring them to God, so that through baptism they can be reborn as
children of God and receive the gift of faith. Thus, along with life, children
are given a fundamental orientation and assured of a good future; this
orientation will be further strengthened in the sacrament of Confirmation with
the seal of the Holy Spirit.”[18]In this regard, it is interesting to note the connection that can be discerned
in the Latin Church between the liturgy of the lighting of the paschal candle—a
prelude to the great celebration of Easter, the center and culmination of the
Christian faith—and the celebration of baptism, the gateway to that same faith,
especially in its reference to Christ the Light, who must be welcomed into the
life of every believer.
34. Particularly
significant in this context is what the same magisterial document says later on:
“In the family, faith accompanies every age of life, beginning with childhood:
children learn to trust in the love of their parents. This is why it is so
important that within their families parents encourage shared expressions of
faith which can help children gradually to mature in their own faith. Young
people in particular, who are going through a period in their lives which is so
complex, rich, and important for their faith, ought to feel the constant
closeness and support of their families and the Church in their journey of
faith.”[19]
35. It is significant to
recall here a deeply moving account written by the Jesuit Father Aimé Duval,
which offers a glimpse of the quiet and almost natural witness to the Christian
faith that parents can offer to their children. In the context of recounting his
troubled personal and religious journey, Father Duval writes: “I was the fifth
of nine children in my family. Before me were Lucie, Marie, Hélène, and Marcel;
after me were René, Raymond, Suzanne, and André. In this family, I did not learn
piety in a particularly expressive or extraordinary way. There was simply the
daily evening prayer, which we recited together. But I remember it well, and I
shall remember it until my eyes are closed for the last time. My sister.
My sister Hélène would say the prayers, which were long for children (a quarter
of an hour). She would rush through them, mumble, and take shortcuts until my
father would say to her in dialect, ‘Go back… Begin again…’ I learned then that
it was necessary to speak to the good Lord slowly, earnestly, and with gentle
patience. My father. What moves me today is the memory of my father’s
demeanor. He was always tired from working in the fields or driving the oxen,
and when he returned from work, he made no attempt to hide his weariness. Yet
after dinner, he would kneel down, resting his elbows on the seat of a chair,
his forehead in his hands, without so much as a glance at his children gathered
around him, without a single movement, without coughing, without losing his
patience. And I would think to myself: ‘My father, who is so strong, who rules
the household and his two big oxen, who stands proud in the face of life’s
setbacks and is so unafraid of the mayor, the rich, or the wicked—here he is
making himself so small before the good Lord. Truly, speaking with God changes
him. Truly, the good Lord must be someone very great if my father kneels before
him, but also someone very familiar if one can speak to him while wearing his
work clothes…’ My mother. As for my mother, I never saw her on her
knees. Too tired, she would sit in the middle of the room, with the youngest
child in her arms, her black dress reaching down to her heels, her beautiful
brown hair loose around her neck, and all the children gathered around her,
leaning against her. Her lips followed the prayers from beginning to end; she
did not want to miss a single word and recited them quietly to herself. The most
striking thing was that she kept her eyes fixed on us; each of us was held in
her gaze. A longer gaze for the youngest ones. She watched us but said nothing,
even when the little ones fidgeted and whispered, even when thunder crashed over
the house, even when the cat knocked over a pot. And I would think to myself,
‘Truly, the good Lord is very kind if one can speak to him while holding a child
in one’s arms and still wearing a work apron. Truly, the good Lord is someone
important if neither the cat nor the thunder matters anymore.’ My father’s hands
and my mother’s lips—these are the things that taught me more about the good
Lord than the catechism did. He is Someone; he is Someone close to us. You can
speak with him even when you have been working.”[20]
36. This touching account
of the simple and joyful initiation of young children into the mystery of God,
made possible by the witness of their parents, fully confirms an insight
repeatedly emphasized by Pope Francis: within the family, faith must be handed
on “in dialect.” On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, 7 January 2018, he
addressed the parents who had brought their children to be baptized in these
words: “I would like to tell you only one thing, which pertains to you
[parents]: transmission of the faith can only be done ‘in dialect’, in the
dialect of the family, in the dialect of daddy and mommy, of grandpa and
grandma. Then the catechists will come to develop this first transmission, with
ideas, with explanations... But do not forget this: it is done ‘in dialect,’ and
if the dialect is missing, if at home that language of love is not spoken
between the parents, then the transmission is not very easy; it cannot be done.
Do not forget. Your task is to transmit the faith, but to do so with the dialect
of love of your home, of your family.”[21] This point was also emphasized by Pope Leo XIV: “Our first catechists are
our parents: those who first spoke to us and taught us to speak. Just as we
learned our mother tongue, so too the proclamation of the faith cannot be
delegated to someone else; it happens where we live, above all in our homes,
around the family table. When there is a voice, a gesture, a face that leads to
Christ, the family experiences the beauty of the Gospel.”[22]
37. Until recently, the
family was the primary setting in which faith passed from one generation to the
next. Parents, above all, constitute that first “tabernacle” in which children
can glimpse all the beauty and strength of being disciples of the Lord Jesus.
This witness takes shape in a pattern of simple, everyday gestures: personal
prayer and prayer as a couple, reading the Gospel, recalling the words and deeds
of Jesus, remembering the patron saints, the constant invocation of the maternal
protection of the Virgin Mary, participation in Sunday Mass, visits to shrines
and various forms of popular piety, care for the poor and disadvantaged, prayers
of thanksgiving before meals, asking the Lord’s blessing on birthdays of family
members, and the devout preparation of the Nativity scene during the Christmas
season.
38. However, it must be
noted that this favorable situation is gradually disappearing. Indeed, as will
be discussed in greater detail below, one of the defining characteristics of our
era is that, although it retains its importance in certain regions of Africa and
Asia, the transmission of the faith within the family has been interrupted in
many parts of the world.[23] Consequently, the handing on of the experience of the Christian faith to
new generations no longer occurs, so to speak, “automatically.”
The Ecclesial Community
39. Only at this point, as
a second stage, does the ecclesial community enter the process of transmitting
the faith. What a person has received from their parents—namely, the witness of
faith in Jesus, who fully revealed the face of God’s infinite love, freeing
human beings from darkness and opening them to the true light of life—finds in
the Church the means and the opportunities to become the guiding principle of
how that person sees the world. Through catechesis, the celebration of the
sacraments, the various spaces that foster active participation in community
life (as proposed by the current synodal journey), commitment to the most
disadvantaged, and gathering in the house of the Lord on Sundays, one reaches
that maturity of faith which ultimately consists in seeing everything “through
the eyes of Jesus.”
40. Indeed, thanks to the
coordinated efforts of parents and the ecclesial community, each person learns
that “in faith, Christ is not simply the one in whom we believe, the supreme
manifestation of God’s love; he is also the one with whom we are united
precisely in order to believe. Faith does not merely gaze at Jesus, but sees
things as Jesus himself sees them, with his own eyes.”[24] This is the culmination of the process we refer to here as the
transmission of the faith: enabling each person to attain such intimacy with the
Lord Jesus that he or she may finally look upon oneself, others, the world, and
the mystery of God through the very eyes of Jesus. It thus becomes clear that
the accompaniment of the community is essential not only for receiving the
Gospel, but also for remaining faithful to the gift received, since it is very
difficult to persevere alone.
41. It must also be
acknowledged that, in countries with a long-standing Christian tradition, such a
context for the transmission of the faith appears today to have been weakened,
since it is increasingly characterized by the presence of “‘the baptized
whose lives do not reflect the demands of Baptism,’ who lack a meaningful
relationship to the Church and no longer experience the consolation born of
faith. The Church, in her maternal concern, tries to help them experience a
conversion which will restore the joy of faith to their hearts and inspire a
commitment to the Gospel.”[25] Furthermore, especially among young people, the number of those who do not
know Jesus and the Gospel is growing.
42. For this very reason,
the transmission of the faith today requires, in a particular way, the
evangelization of adults and a move beyond pastoral ministry focused solely on
the catechesis of children and adolescents.
Chapter III
The Epochal Change
43. Special attention must
be given to the context of the transmission of the faith—the subject of these
Considerations—as expressed through the concept of an “epochal change.” As
is well known, it was Pope Francis who made this expression famous in his
address to the Roman Curia during the exchange of Christmas greetings on 21
December 2019, stating: “What we are experiencing is not simply an epoch of
changes, but an epochal change. We find ourselves living at a time when
change is no longer linear, but epochal. It entails decisions that rapidly
transform our ways of living, of relating to one another, of communicating and
thinking, of how different generations relate to one another and how we
understand and experience faith and science.”[26] As the Final Document of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin
American and Caribbean Bishops, held in May 2007 in Aparecida, Brazil, had
already noted more than ten years earlier, the “deepest level” of this change
“is cultural. The all-embracing conception of the human being, in relationship
with the world and with God is vanishing.”[27]
44. This situation is
fundamentally linked to the crisis of the cultural model of modernity, which
particularly affects the European context. One might therefore ask whether
speaking of an “epochal change,” in the singular, fully captures the processes
currently confronting Churches throughout the world. The answer to this question
is undoubtedly affirmative, at least from a general perspective, for reasons
connected with the well-known phenomenon of globalization, which has contributed
to the spread of Western cultural influence to every region of the planet.
Moreover, it is undeniable that certain experiences, such as the tragedy of the
COVID-19 pandemic, have strengthened the widespread awareness of belonging to a
single family, even though there is no shortage of trends moving in the opposite
direction.[28]
45. The urgency of
addressing the questions raised by this epochal change was also expressed by
Pope Leo XIV in his first encyclical letter,
Magnifica Humanitas: “We are
living through a rapid phase of transition, a ‘change of era,’ in which — while
some are vying for the future of new technologies and others dedicate themselves
to reflecting on the matter — most people are watching and waiting, observing
from afar and merely hoping for the best. For this very reason, crucial
questions impose themselves on our conscience and can no longer be avoided:
Where are we going? Toward what goal do we wish to orient ourselves? What
direction should we choose as a people and as a human community?”[29] The Holy Father highlighted the general features of this change:
“Artificial intelligence and other innovations are reshaping our understanding
of work and relationships, and even raising questions about human identity.
Ecological degradation threatens our common home. Political systems often fail
to respond to the cries of the poor. Populism and ideological polarization
deepen divisions within and among nations. Many are affected by consumerism,
individualism, and indifference.”[30] To these challenges, one can also add widening economic inequalities,
which often lead to the destabilization of entire regions. These are global
factors that bring about profound social changes. Such transformations affect
nearly every cultural context and do not spare even the Church, since she is
incarnate in history and participates in the lives of peoples.
46. On the one hand, in
fact, the appeal of an economically comfortable lifestyle and the legitimate
aspiration for better living conditions, further encouraged by the technological
development discussed above, contribute to the spread of materialistic and
individualistic mindsets across all continents. Together with other factors,
these dynamics fuel the global phenomenon of migration, which is often marked by
dramatic circumstances. On the other hand, these same processes have fostered,
even in countries with a long history of evangelization, the emergence of
multicultural contexts in which, alongside secularism, different peoples, each
with their own cultural outlook, live side by side and face the challenge of
peaceful coexistence. It must therefore be recognized that these dynamics are
not experienced uniformly across the various regions of the world. Likewise, it
is important to emphasize that the relationship with Western modernity—which
characterizes, above all, a particular profile of the Church—is worked out
differently according to the cultures to which the various Christian communities
belong. Pope Leo XIV acknowledged this reality when he said, “the People of God
are not only gathered together from many peoples, but are also intertwined
through different functions, vocations, cultures and traditions, each being
called to support and enrich one another. […] The fruitful tension between the
universality of the Church’s mission and her local roots is an intrinsic aspect
of her life, for she encompasses the whole world, while addressing the specific
issues of each context as the real setting in which the Gospel takes shape.”[31] Thus, we may conclude that one of the most significant aspects of this
epochal change concerns the establishment of a new relationship between
faith—and thus its transmission—and cultures.
The Crisis in the Transmission of the Faith
47. One characteristic
feature of the epochal change that is affecting, for various reasons,
particularly the West—that is, those countries in which the Christian faith has
held a dominant sociological significance—concerns the crisis in the
intergenerational transmission of the Christian faith. This was already
highlighted in
Evangelii Gaudium: “Nor can we overlook the fact that in
recent decades there has been a breakdown in the way Catholics pass down the
Christian faith to the young. It is undeniable that many people feel
disillusioned and no longer identify with the Catholic tradition. Growing
numbers of parents do not bring their children for baptism or teach them how to
pray. There is also a certain exodus towards other faith communities.”[32]
48. This is closely
linked—especially in Europe, the United States of America, and Canada, but also
in Australia and New Zealand—to an advanced stage of secularization, which has
led to a significant crisis in the practice of Christianity within the home. In
truth, ever fewer parents are fulfilling their responsibility to introduce their
children to the living light of the Gospel message. It is precisely from such
family settings that most of the young men and women come who, despite having
been part of Catholic parish communities, eventually enter adulthood in a state
of substantial religious indifference. For those who, although baptized, have
lost the Christian meaning of life, Jesus—his message of love, that light he
came to radiate into human history—represents neither an essential element of
their identity nor a reliable guide for discerning how to lead a life worthy of
human dignity.
49. This does not,
however, concern only the so-called advanced West. In Eastern Europe, for
example, which endured the severe ordeal of totalitarian communist regimes and
the subsequent establishment of societies founded on state atheism—whose
effects, however, were not the same everywhere—it was the generation of today’s
parents that suffered the interruption in the transmission of the faith. This is
attested to especially by the bishops from the territories of the former Soviet
Union, who observed “that the faith had been passed down from grandmothers […]
to grandchildren, but without the direct involvement of the middle generation.
As a result, the grandchildren’s generation did not see their parents living
their faith in everyday life.”[33] Similar testimonies have also been offered by the bishops of Albania.[34] The bishops of the Hungarian Greek Catholic Church likewise conclude: “We
can no longer take for granted that parents will automatically pass on the faith
to their children. What proved effective in the past no longer bears the same
fruit in the current situation.”[35]
50. This breakdown in the
transmission of the faith within the family is also evident in Latin America and
the Caribbean, where it manifests itself above all as a disruption of the
organic continuity between family and society. Indeed, as the bishops of Chile
observe: “For decades, people took it for granted that there was continuity
between family, school, culture, and the ecclesial community. In that context,
faith could be described as something that was transmitted in a relatively
organic way, from one generation to the next.”[36] In this regard, the bishops of the Antilles note a weakening of
intergenerational continuity,[37] particularly in relation to catechesis and sacramental practice. In
another context, such as that of Panama, where faith remains very much alive in
popular expressions and in significant moments of life, there is an awareness
that the faith is “no longer passed on naturally within families.”[38] In Colombia, as in other parts of the world, grandparents help compensate
for shortcomings in catechesis within the home, alongside what the parish
provides.[39] In other regions, however, for reasons linked to local cultures, the
baptism of children is even postponed until they reach a more mature age, as is
the case in the Peruvian Amazon.[40] Ultimately, all these accounts indicate that a sort of “automatic”
transmission of the faith has ceased to exist.
51. A similar problem also
affects most of the Churches in Asia, especially in the most technologically
advanced regions. In such cases, however, Christianity has always been in a
minority position within society, and only recently has it begun to experience
some difficulties in the transmission of the faith within families. In South
Korea, for example, the bishops note that because parents are primarily
concerned with their children’s academic achievement and professional careers,
the responsibility for the catechesis of children and young people falls largely
to grandparents.[41] The bishops of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei also decry the priority
given to career demands, while spiritual formation is increasingly relegated to
individuals’ private use of modern media.[42] A similar situation is found in Bangladesh, made even more acute by a
predominantly Muslim social context.[43] In Japan, by contrast, the difficulties encountered are in some respects
similar to those experienced in the Western world, especially with regard to
parish catechesis and the prevalence of marriages between persons belonging to
different religious traditions, which can, to some extent, hinder the
transmission of the faith within the home.[44] This is also the case in the countries of Central Asia that once belonged
to the Soviet bloc. There, the Church has nevertheless remained a minority
presence and faces conditions similar to those experienced by the communities in
Eastern Europe, where a “Church of Silence”[45] survived for several decades under totalitarian regimes.
52. Despite the wide
variety of contexts, Africa is likewise not immune to the dynamics that disrupt
the intergenerational transmission of the faith. This is primarily due to a
certain secularization of ways of life brought about by the influence of a
Western lifestyle, which younger generations have embraced. Other factors are
also at work, linked primarily to the relationship with local cultures. In
particular, it can be noted that an incomplete inculturation of the
Gospel—despite the continued prevalence of public expressions of religion in
social life—leads to a superficial faith: one that lacks roots and is more
exposed to external influences. The bishops of Southern Africa attest to this
reality: “While Christianity has spread widely, it often remains at a surface
level, necessitating a deeper incarnation of the Gospel in African
spirituality.”[46] Consequently, one of the principal challenges facing the transmission of
the faith—a challenge encountered across the entire African continent—concerns
the growing and ever more aggressive competition from religious movements of
various kinds, together with a return to traditional religious practices, even
among those who have already received baptism.[47]
53. Without delving into
the complexity of the causes that have brought about these transformations, it
is within this context—one of a genuine reshaping of the fundamental conditions
of human existence—that the crisis in the intergenerational transmission of the
faith, and the challenge it presents to the Church, must be understood. In the
past, these conditions were interpreted primarily through the lens of
Christianity, both in society as a whole and within individual communities. More
generally, it must be acknowledged that what is in crisis is not only the
transmission of the faith, but also a certain vision of the human person and of
his or her foundational values—a vision that had found its fulfillment precisely
in the Gospel. The crisis of modernity, which is the hallmark of this epochal
change, has thus contributed to the emergence of a new culture that has come
into competition with the traditional structures through which the faith has
been transmitted. This has, in turn, brought about a crisis of the so-called
model of Christendom, accompanied, in various parts of the world, by the
widespread perception that the ministry of priests is often limited to the
“maintenance” of existing structures, even as the world around them has changed
radically.
A New, Widespread Culture
54. Starting from this
situation,
Evangelii Gaudium invites us to recognize the following: “New
cultures are constantly being born in these vast new expanses [the metropolises]
where Christians are no longer the customary interpreters or generators of
meaning. Instead, they themselves take from these cultures new languages,
symbols, messages, and paradigms which propose new approaches to life,
approaches often in contrast with the Gospel of Jesus. A completely new culture
has come to life and continues to grow in the cities. The Synod [of 2012 on the
New Evangelization] noted that today the changes taking place in these great
spaces and the culture which they create are a privileged locus of the new
evangelization. This challenges us to imagine innovative spaces and
possibilities for prayer and communion which are more attractive and meaningful
for city dwellers. Through the influence of the media, rural areas are being
affected by the same cultural changes, which are significantly altering their
way of life as well.”[48]
55. The question of
transmitting the faith must therefore be considered within the context of that
unprecedented culture, which today spreads from urban centers to their
peripheries and even reaches rural areas. This culture exerts a pervasive and
profound influence, as the bishops of the United States of America observe:
today the faithful “tend to be more absorbed in culture than in faith. Culture, through social
media and public discourse, in turn shapes how Catholics [...] think more than
Catholic faith, tradition, and devotion do.”[49]The same phenomenon can be observed in many other contexts, especially those
most strongly influenced by Western culture and urban lifestyles. As the bishops
of Romania warn, the rapid secularization of these societies means that “the
lack of religious practice is no longer socially perceived as an absence that
needs to be justified.”[50] In countries with a long history of evangelization, therefore, it is now
possible to speak of post-Christian societies.
56. The prevailing trend
of this unprecedented culture seems to consist in the exaltation of the
“sovereignty of the self,” which asserts its autonomy and freedom to determine
every aspect of its own existence, subjecting other human beings and the
surrounding reality to its own needs. This trend reflects the spread of an
increasingly pronounced individualism, which generates separation, division,
envy, jealousy, domination, narcissism, and worship of the self. In this regard,
the powerful words of the encyclical
Fratelli Tutti come to mind:
“Individualism does not make us more free, more equal, more fraternal. The mere
sum of individual interests is not capable of generating a better world for the
whole human family. Nor can it save us from the many ills that are now
increasingly globalized. Radical individualism is a virus that is extremely
difficult to eliminate, for it is clever. It makes us believe that everything
consists in giving free rein to our own ambitions, as if by pursuing ever
greater ambitions and creating safety nets we would somehow be serving the
common good.”[51]
57. This widespread
individualism is perhaps one of the most evident effects of that long process of
secularization that has profoundly shaped contemporary human consciousness,
particularly in Western contexts, depriving it of the breadth and horizon of
transcendence. As
Evangelii Gaudium states, “The process of
secularization tends to reduce the faith and the Church to the sphere of the
private and personal. Furthermore, by completely rejecting the transcendent, it
has produced a growing deterioration of ethics, a weakening of the sense of
personal and collective sin, and a steady increase in relativism. These have led
to a general sense of disorientation, especially in the periods of adolescence
and young adulthood which are so vulnerable to change.”[52]
58. All of this naturally has repercussions for the process of transmitting the
faith. Among the phenomena highlighted by the bishops, in addition to the
aforementioned difficulties concerning the family, is the substantial separation
between the individual and the community. As the bishops of Spain observe: “The individual and the family suffer the consequences of the cultural and
social crisis that accompanies this process and, in turn, become its cause, due
to the weakening of the transmission of the faith and the resulting breakdown of
the bonds essential for life in society.”[53] This means that the individual struggles to integrate into a tradition
that precedes him or her, into a “we” that shapes not only his or her thinking
and feeling, but also his or her faith. As a result, young people especially
become increasingly vulnerable to passing trends, as the bishops of Brazil
observe: “The gradual loss of a sense of belonging to the Church, combined with
the spread of subjective forms of religiosity, has weakened the traditional
processes of Christian initiation. In this context, it can no longer be taken
for granted that baptism automatically leads to a mature faith integrated into
the life of the community.”[54] Consequently, in such contexts, faith is perceived above all as a private
matter, as the bishops of Austria emphasize: “Religion is increasingly being privatized in our society, with a tendency to exclude it from the public sphere. [...] It is not
possible, so to speak, to bury the Christian experience in the heart without
this having an impact on the reality of the world and society.”[55] This is further exacerbated in countries such as France and Canada, where
secularism also finds expression at the legislative level, limiting the freedom
to express one’s faith in public spaces.
Digital Technologies
59. One of the most
evident signs of the epochal change we are experiencing is undoubtedly the
spread of digital technologies. As Pope Leo XIV observes in
Magnifica Humanitas, these technologies have led to the emergence of “a new situation.
The power and prevalence of emerging technologies are interwoven into the fabric
of daily life, shaping decision-making processes and deeply affecting the
collective imagination.”[56] In particular, the document continues, “the pervasiveness of digital media
fosters a culture of immediacy and hyper-stimulation, which gives rise to
fatigue, boredom and apathy concerning the effort required for seeking the
truth.”[57] As the Synod on Synodality had already noted in the Synthesis Report
of the First Session (2023): “Digital culture represents a
fundamental change in the way we conceive of reality and consequently relate to
ourselves, one another, our surroundings, and even to God.”[58] Especially among the younger generations, this culture is characterized
not only, as is often emphasized, by broader access to knowledge, but also by a
shift in the very categories of thought and, ultimately, in the way we relate to
reality. Furthermore, if we consider the scenarios opened up by the advent of
artificial intelligence, an ever more concrete risk emerges—as the Holy Father
has recalled—that such a culture “threatens to alter radically some of the
fundamental pillars of human civilization that at times are taken for granted.
By simulating human voices and faces, wisdom and knowledge, consciousness and
responsibility, empathy and friendship, the systems known as artificial
intelligence not only interfere with information ecosystems but also encroach
upon the deepest level of communication: that of human relationships. The
challenge, therefore, is not technological, but anthropological.”[59] This has significant consequences for the inculturation of the faith.
60. The spread of digital
technologies and the advancement of artificial intelligence naturally affect
faith and religion as well. On the one hand, the digital world offers ample
opportunities for people to share testimonies from their lives and spiritual
experiences, and it allows catechetical content to be disseminated more widely
than was ever possible through the means available in the past; here, new
technologies undoubtedly open unprecedented possibilities for evangelization. On
the other hand, however, in some contexts, the invitation to faith risks
becoming disembodied, detached from concrete life, or tied to ideologies
promoted by vocal minorities. This can lead to distortions of the faith itself
or of conscience, or it can lead people to construct a so-called
“do-it-yourself” faith, shaped by their own tastes and preferences rather than
by the teaching of the Church.
61. Furthermore, it has
been noted that digital culture tends to reshape certain fundamental categories
of thought—such as space, time, and authority—which constitute essential
elements of the very concept of tradition. Therefore, as our understanding of
tradition changes, the transmission of the faith is inevitably transformed at
its very foundations. Regarding space, as mentioned, the sense of belonging to a
concrete local setting would be weakened, though not lost entirely, since people
are simultaneously embedded in a global network in which physical distances
appear relativized, if not entirely overcome. Regarding time, however, the very
meaning of memory would change; the fact that all content uploaded to the
internet remains there indefinitely, combined with the rapid pace of exchanges
between people, contributes to the loss of a genuine sense of history and the
past, since everything is flattened into a sort of eternal present. This makes
those who use the internet particularly susceptible to passing trends.
62. On the theme of
authority, we must pay close attention to the warning issued by Pope Leo XIV in
his first encyclical,
Magnifica Humanitas: “Tools that could foster
dialogue and participation are often used to construct distorted narratives and
blur the boundaries between truth and falsehood, mixing facts with opinions.
Disinformation did not begin with AI, yet today it finds a powerful amplifier in
AI. The ability to manipulate content, images, and videos exposes people to
biased or misleading perspectives. This problem has both cultural and moral
dimensions, since the quality of public communication depends directly on social
trust and, in turn, shapes it. At the same time, truthful information does not
arise from centralized or automated control. In public discourse, the truth of
facts has a rational dimension, as it requires verification, cross-checking of
sources, and responsible argumentation. Moreover, it is deeply relational, built
through bonds of trust and shared practices, as well as an honest exchange with
others and with the world.”[60] Consequently, widespread access to multiple sources of knowledge, together
with the presence of a large number of voices all placed on the same level—where
the only distinguishing factor is communicative effectiveness—poses a serious
threat to the credibility of traditional institutions, since, for many, it is no
longer clear who is truly capable of speaking with authority on the fundamental
issues of human life.
New Frontiers of Evangelization
63. Nevertheless, a
realistic view of this situation must not lead us to despair about the future of
the Church. Among the opportunities the Holy Spirit offers in the current
context of epochal change is, in fact, a more conscious and convinced adherence
to the faith, as the bishops of Belgium maintain: it is “a positive opportunity to allow people to
make a conscious choice to deepen their faith.”[61] A similar attitude can also be found in a geographically distant context,
such as that of Chile, whose bishops observe that “faith can no longer be taken for granted as a stable cultural heritage, nor as
a spontaneous adherence to a shared symbolic universe. Rather, it appears to be
a proposal that must be freely accepted, accompanied along various paths, and
verified on an existential level.”[62] Furthermore, we must not overlook a phenomenon affecting the most
secularized areas of Europe and America: the growing number of conversions and
returns to the Church, especially among youth and young adults. Particularly
noteworthy is the case of France, where, despite a general decline in infant
baptisms and religious practice, there has been an exceptional and steady
increase in requests from young people and adults to receive the Sacrament of
Baptism. According to a survey conducted on behalf of the French Bishops’
Conference, the number of adults baptized in 2026 increased by 28% over the
previous year and is now more than three times the 2016 figure. As mentioned,
this phenomenon primarily concerns younger generations: the vast majority are
under 40, and about half fall within the 18- to 25-year-old age group. According
to the personal testimonies collected, the motivations for seeking the sacrament
include an encounter with the faith following a time of crisis (such as
bereavement or illness), spiritual experiences or experiences of beauty, and
contact with other believers, both in person and through social media.[63]
64. In general statistical
terms, this phenomenon still affects relatively small percentages of the total
population; however, this does not detract from the fact that these are by no
means negligible developments and are always a cause for joy. A broader view of
the situation, however, suggests adopting a cautious approach when evaluating
this reality. Indeed, while there is a genuine increase in demand for the
sacraments of Christian initiation in these highly secularized areas, there is
also a parallel difficulty concerning the perseverance of neophytes, who often,
shortly after receiving baptism, return to a state of practical indifference.
For this reason, while it is appropriate to avoid triumphalistic attitudes in
this regard, it cannot be denied that these phenomena constitute concrete signs
of hope and evangelical vitality. At the same time, the situation described
calls for a rediscovery of the importance of the community in welcoming and
accompanying new members of the faithful.
65. It is evident that, in
these cases, the proclamation of the Gospel—carried out in a variety of ways,
from word of mouth and invitations to pilgrimages to an active presence in new
media—makes it possible to respond to an authentic search for meaning that is
reemerging amid the suffocating effects of immanence. Such a search can take
many forms, none of which should be disregarded: the search for greater openness
of heart, the need for peace and harmony with the world, the desire for
consolation and healing, experiences of rupture and conflict that prompt a fresh
start, new forms of beauty, a certain rediscovery of the past and of traditions,
as well as many other examples that could be mentioned. These are realities that
we should view with gratitude, recognizing in them the work of the Holy Spirit,
who continues to act in people’s hearts.
66. Thus, the need to
transmit the faith, beginning with the kerygma, remains essential. This
applies both to secularized countries with a long Christian tradition and to
those in which the Church is generally a minority, as is the case in Asia. In
fact, many Asian countries are also affected by secularization and
individualism, especially in regions experiencing rapid economic growth.
However, in those contexts, these cultural influences affect communities of the
faithful differently than they do in societies with a Christian tradition.
Precisely because the faithful are often in the minority within their respective
societies (with some notable exceptions, such as the Philippines and
Timor-Leste), the Churches in Asia have developed as sociologically well-defined
communities. This has fostered the consolidation of a strong identity, which has
enabled them to endure throughout history, even in contexts that were at times
hostile or marked by outright persecution. In the current context of epochal
change, this reality has twofold implications for the transmission of the faith:
on the one hand, Christian communities are not immune to the widespread
secularized culture described above, which consequently leads to an erosion of
religious practice, especially among the younger generations; on the other hand,
they are called to move beyond a commitment to Christianity based merely on the
inertia of social affiliation,[64] so that it may become a personal and conscious choice, capable of guiding
one’s decisions in life. This is especially true in regions characterized by
ancient cultures, such as India and China, where efforts to embody the Gospel
message in people’s lives must engage with the particular ways in which a given
culture relates to realms such as truth, goodness, and beauty. Added to this is
the need to rethink how we proclaim the Gospel, prioritizing narrative forms
over the mere transmission of abstract concepts. This effort is essential for
preparing each human heart (cf. Mt 13:3–8) for an authentic encounter
with the Good News.
67. Despite the variety of
situations that characterize this vast continent, Africa, too, faces the problem
of Western-style secularization and individualism, which especially affect urban
contexts and the younger generations. In the African Churches, however, the
response to these cultural influences on the transmission of the faith takes
place within the framework of two equally demanding challenges, to which
reference has already been made: the inculturation of the Gospel into local
cultures and the “competition” created by proselytizing activity from other
religions. The bishops of Nigeria attest to the importance of the first aspect:
“the significant presence of indigenous clergy has facilitated the transmission
of faith within their home cultures, as they serve as relatable role models and
spiritual guides, effectively bridging the gap between traditional Nigerian
values and Catholic teachings.”[65] Another valuable initiative is that of the “Small Christian Communities,”
which, as reported by the bishops of Tanzania, “act as the primary unit for
prayer, catechesis, and fellowship. The faith is often transmitted through a
‘community-as-family’ approach.”[66]
68. As already mentioned,
the transmission of the faith in Africa (but also elsewhere) suffers from the
antagonistic activities of religious groups that promote a “prosperity gospel”
by appealing to immediate material needs. In regions such as Ivory Coast, for
example, people seek out movements that promise well-being and happiness, while
many baptized Christians are returning to traditional and esoteric practices.[67]
69. It must be
acknowledged that the appeal of such proposals often stems from certain
objective shortcomings in the ways the Gospel is proclaimed, which do not always
adequately consider the actual and concrete needs of families. This means that
Christian communities are called to seek healthy ways of presenting the Gospel
as an effective response even to the most tangible needs, following the example
of Jesus, who traveled throughout the land of Israel “doing good and healing
all” (Acts 10:38), thus demonstrating his ability to respond not only to
the ultimate questions but also to the “penultimate” ones. Indeed, such desires
are not always rooted in selfishness (for example, concern for the well-being of
children, care for one’s health, the desire to heal family bonds, etc.).
Discovering that the Church can offer concrete spiritual help in the face of
these concerns opens the heart to receive the kerygmatic proclamation with
renewed vigor.
70. However, in other
African contexts, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in addition
to pressure from fundamentalist groups, Christian communities also face the
threat posed by the aggressive expansion of Islamist groups.[68] All these factors influence many believers who have not received a solid
formation in the faith or have not personally experienced the transforming
effect of the kerygma in their lives.
71. Finally, we cannot
remain silent about the fact that, in many parts of the world, believers in
Jesus are still victims of outright persecution by extremist religious groups.
In this regard, it is urgent to reaffirm that any form of violence perpetrated
on the basis of religious belief is an unacceptable violation of human dignity.
Indeed, “those who use the name of God to legitimize terrorism, violence or war
betray his true nature, for to fight in the name of religion means attacking
religion itself.”[69] These are distortions of the religious message that must be publicly
denounced, and every political authority is called upon to act without
hesitation to put a stop to them.
Chapter IV
The Centrality of the Kerygma
72. Faced with the
situation described above, it seems entirely natural that believers should
embark on a renewed period of proclaiming the Gospel, finally responding to what
Pope Francis called for in
Evangelii Gaudium regarding the urgent need
for the entire Church to launch a new phase of evangelization. This call was
reiterated by Pope Leo XIV, who recognizes the need for a “Christ-centered and
kerygmatic” mission, one that is “born of an encounter with Christ that is
capable of transforming lives and spreading through attraction rather than
conquest. It is an integral mission, holding in balance explicit proclamation,
witness, commitment and dialogue, and yielding neither to the temptation of
proselytism nor to a merely institutional mentality of preservation or
expansion.”[70] We do this not primarily to respond to a new epochal challenge, but out of
fidelity to Christian identity itself, which necessarily includes the gift of
self in transmitting Christ’s light. With all this in view, it is appropriate to
reflect on the theme of proclaiming the kerygma and how it reorients the
life and mission of the Church.
73. Divine revelation, as
the Second Vatican Council teaches, is not merely the transmission of doctrinal
truths or an “instruction” from God to humanity, but a covenant dialogue: “God,
who is invisible, out of the abundance of his love, speaks to human beings as
friends and associates with them, to invite them and admit them into fellowship
with himself.”[71] This means that the kerygma—the fundamental proclamation of the
faith—requires a response from those who receive it that is not limited
to the intellectual level but involves their entire existence in accepting God’s
call to share in his very life. Precisely because it is not confined to the
realm of knowledge alone, but has, so to speak, an existential reach (cf. Jn
17:3), such a response is, by its very nature, an event of salvation: “If
you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9).
74. The truth of the
Gospel, therefore, is salvific; it is alive. Indeed, it is a person: Christ
himself (cf. Jn 14:6). This is reflected in the structure of the act of
faith, which is characterized, at the same time, by the “total commitment of
oneself”[72] to Christ on the part of the individual human being enlightened by his
grace (fides qua), and by the “things believed” (fides quae),
which make explicit the content of that act of self-commitment.[73] The soundness of the presentation of the faith and the human search for
meaning, which is never fully exhausted (cf. 1 Cor 15:28), belong
together.
Fostering an Experience of Faith
75. In this regard,
therefore, what we read in
Evangelii Gaudium still holds true: “In
catechesis too, we have rediscovered the fundamental role of the first
announcement or kerygma, which needs to be the center of all evangelizing
activity and all efforts at Church renewal. The kerygma is trinitarian.
The fire of the Spirit is given in the form of tongues and leads us to believe
in Jesus Christ who, by his death and resurrection, reveals and communicates to
us the Father’s infinite mercy. On the lips of the catechist the first
proclamation must ring out over and over: ‘Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his
life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten,
strengthen and free you.’ This first proclamation is called ‘first’ not because
it exists at the beginning and can then be forgotten or replaced by other more
important things. It is first in a qualitative sense because it is the principal
proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again, in different ways, the
one which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of
catechesis, at every level and moment.”[74]
76. The first point
suggested by these words is that the proclamation of the foundational and
fundamental truth of Christianity—Jesus Christ, who is alive, loves you and
gave his life to save you—must take place in such a way as to bring about
an experience of faith capable of initiating the formation of one’s
Christian identity. This outlines a threefold process that must characterize the
transmission of the faith refocused on the kerygma: above all, the
central proclamation of the presence and love of the Risen Christ; the inner
experience of his presence and love, sparked by that proclamation; and finally,
the beginning of a journey of knowing and loving Christ, made possible by the
recipient’s acceptance of the proclamation with a free and sincere heart.
77. It is not, therefore,
a mere transmission of content—however important that content may be, even as it
concerns the salvation of every human being. It must be a “performative”
proclamation, capable of truly touching the hearts of those who receive it and
of drawing them toward the heart of the Lord Jesus, where it is possible to
contemplate and come into contact with that fire of love that he came to cast
upon the earth (cf. Lk 12:49). The proclamation of the kerygma
must set ablaze the hearts of those to whom it is addressed, following
the sublime model that Jesus himself exemplified with the disciples on the road
to Emmaus: “They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us
while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to
us?’” (Lk 24:32).
78. The link between the
kerygma and catechesis, in the context of this epochal change, is very
close, to the point that the latter “cannot always be distinguished from the
first proclamation,” and therefore it “is called to be in the first place a
proclamation of the faith.”[75] Precisely in this regard, it may be helpful to recall a situation that is
now increasingly common. As has already been noted, it happens more and more
often that Christian parents are unable to pass on the faith to their children.
Yet the very fact of requesting baptism for their children or accompanying them
to catechesis already demonstrates a certain presence of faith and a fragile but
genuine witness that should not be disregarded. In such cases, it is even
possible that the children or adolescents who come to catechesis have not yet
received an explicit first proclamation of the Gospel. Precisely for this
reason, catechesis becomes the setting in which this proclamation can be offered
anew, confirming the need for a profound kerygmatic renewal of catechesis, since
it does not always give rise to an intense experience of encounter with Christ,
one that can endure over time.[76]
79. On the other hand, it
is a fact that the large number of children and adolescents who drift away from
the Church and the sacraments immediately after completing their Christian
initiation or their course of formation in a Catholic school indicates that
catechesis still struggles to find the most appropriate ways to foster a solid
and lasting personal encounter with Christ.
The Question of Language
80. In the context of this
epochal change, the true challenge for the Church is to ensure that the word of
the Gospel is taken “as a living standard for guiding concrete choices,
inspiring paths of personal and communal conversion, promoting structural
reforms and supporting new forms of evangelical witness in public life.”[77] In this sense, drawing on the numerous documents and resources prepared by
the Dicastery for Evangelization,[78] it is now more urgent than ever to examine wisely and with discernment the
current ways of organizing catechesis, so that the transmission of the faith is
not confined to language that can be labeled as “scholastic,” “dogmatic,” or
“moralistic.” All too often, repetitive and self-referential communication of
the Gospel message risks failing to speak to the hearts of the faithful. For
this reason, the language of faith must not be limited to a cold exposition of
concepts. It must certainly possess the clarity that facilitates understanding,
but above all, it must be characterized by an appeal from the heart, remembering
that “the Lord saves us by speaking to our hearts from his Sacred Heart”[79] and that “the Christian’s program […] is ‘a heart that sees’.”[80] Only in this way will it become a language that truly brings about change
in people’s lives, because it will be an expression of the Lord’s own voice—the
only one that can truly touch people’s hearts: “Speak to me yourself within my
heart in truth, for you alone speak so.”[81]
81. In summary, for the
transmission of the faith to be truly effective, it must take the form of an
engaging interpersonal relationship. To this end, “we need to use above all the
language of closeness, the language of generous, relational and existential love
that touches the heart, impacts life, and awakens hope and desires.”[82] Such communication does not presume to speak first, but arises above all
from listening, making possible a genuine exchange of gifts between the one who
proclaims and the one who receives the proclamation, thereby facilitating the
encounter with Christ who walks with us.
82. This means that the
transmission of the faith can take place where language becomes testimony—an
event of the Spirit in its own right. As Saint Alberto Hurtado once said, as
quoted in the Apostolic Exhortation
Christus Vivit: “Being an apostle
does not mean carrying a torch in hand, possessing the light, but being that
light […]. The Gospel, […] more than a lesson, is an example. A message that
becomes a life fully lived.”[83] In this way, the Church can offer, also today, a word that is at once
memory and prophecy, capable of rekindling the hearts of the disciples along the
way as they are accompanied by the Master, allowing grace to stir that mystical
adherence to the faith,[84] concerning which the words of the prophet Jeremiah remain unsurpassed:
“within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am
weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (Jer 20:9).
Christian Formation
83. It follows from what
has been said that Christian communities are strongly called to promote—in
season and out of season—a renewal of the proclamation of the kerygma.
Moreover,
Evangelii Gaudium also highlighted another truly important
point in this regard: “We must not think that in catechesis the kerygma
gives way to a supposedly more ‘solid’ formation. Nothing is more solid,
profound, secure, meaningful, and wisdom-filled than that initial proclamation.
All Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma,
which is reflected in and constantly illumines, the work of catechesis, thereby
enabling us to understand more fully the significance of every subject which the
latter treats. It is the message capable of responding to the desire for the
infinite which abides in every human heart. The centrality of the kerygma
calls for stressing those elements which are most needed today: it has to
express God’s saving love which precedes any moral and religious obligation on
our part; it should not impose the truth but appeal to freedom; it should be
marked by joy, encouragement, liveliness and a harmonious balance which will not
reduce preaching to a few doctrines which are at times more philosophical than
evangelical.”[85]
84. Here we see the great
teaching of the Second Vatican Council regarding the hierarchy of truths among
the Christian mysteries. In fact, we read in paragraph 11 of
Unitatis Redintegratio that “in ecumenical dialogue, Catholic theologians, standing
fast by the teaching of the Church yet searching together with separated
brethren into the divine mysteries, should do so with love for the truth, with
charity, and with humility. When comparing doctrines with one another, they
should remember that in Catholic doctrine there exists an order or ‘hierarchy’
of truths, since they vary in their relation to the foundation of the Christian
faith.”[86] This perspective has been extended by
Evangelii Gaudium to the
realm of the proclamation of the Gospel, theology, and the Church’s moral
vision.[87] For this reason, in the epochal change we are experiencing, it does not
seem fitting—when communicating the faith to new generations, adult catechumens,
and so-called “returnees”—to get lost in the many areas of Catholic doctrine,
however important they may be, and thus lose sight of what is most “solid,
profound, secure, [and] meaningful”[88] within it: namely, the love of God, which is like a flame capable of
restoring life, joy, hope, and trust to every human existence. Thanks to the
action of the Holy Spirit, this flame is accessed through an encounter—with
faith and in faith—with the Lord Jesus.
85. It is precisely by
proclaiming the kerygma in a way that is both renewed and
renewing—passionate and capable of inspiring passion—that the community of
believers will be able to fulfill the task of passing on, from generation to
generation, the light that Jesus came to bring to the earth.
86. In practical terms, in
order to truly inspire an experience of faith, the proclamation of the
kerygma must adopt a style, language, and tone capable of reaching people
where they are—with their desires and dreams, their struggles and trials. It
must, therefore, be capable of presenting the good news of God’s love and mercy
in such a way that those who receive it can truly understand that it is
precisely to them that this love and mercy are directed. This is the style that
characterizes the parables of the Lord Jesus, which even today capture the
hearts of those who hear them.
Chapter V
The Transmission of the Faith in Communities
87. Starting from this
general consideration about the centrality of the kerygma, we can make
some more specific observations. The first, and most essential, concerns the
quality of the communal life of the Lord’s disciples. It must reflect
sincere love among brothers and sisters, a commitment to caring for one another,
generous openness toward all—especially the most disadvantaged—an atmosphere of
joy and celebration and, finally, a life lived with one heart and one soul (cf.
Acts 4:32). Such qualities distinguish a welcoming and hospitable
community that, even in this time of epochal change, is capable of attracting
the attention of others and drawing them toward the experience of the Christian
faith. In an increasingly fragmented world, where the only bonds among human
beings that seem to carry any weight are those mediated by digital
infrastructure, the need and desire for belonging are becoming ever more evident
among many people. We are not self-sufficient, and social media does not
satisfy our innate nature as “social animals.” As believers, we cannot fail to
keep our hearts and doors open to these new realities that people face. After
all, the first form of evangelization always takes place “from person to
person.”[89]
88. In this regard, it is
absolutely urgent—especially in countries with a long history of
evangelization—to emphasize the importance of promoting, in every ecclesial
community, groups dedicated to listening to, meditating on, sharing, and praying
with the Word, with regular times set aside for their meetings, complementing
the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist. Let the words of Pope Francis serve as
an inspiration: “Regular reading of Sacred Scripture and the celebration of the
Eucharist make it possible for us to see ourselves as part of one another. As
Christians, we are a single people, making our pilgrim way through history,
sustained by the Lord, present in our midst, who speaks to us and nourishes us.
[…] [W]e urgently need to grow in our knowledge and love of the Scriptures and
of the risen Lord, who continues to speak his word and to break bread in the
community of believers. For this reason, we need to develop a closer
relationship with Sacred Scripture; otherwise, our hearts will remain cold and
our eyes shut, struck as we are by so many forms of blindness.”[90] To foster such familiarity with Sacred Scripture among believers, these
Bible study groups can easily incorporate the ancient practice of lectio
divina and modern narrative methods.
89. Despite all the
epochal changes, the primary channels for transmitting the faith continue to be
person-to-person encounters. Therefore, among the contexts in which the faith is
transmitted, friendship takes on particular importance, as even the most recent
cases of conversion attest. The Church’s tradition has always recognized the
educational value of genuine fraternal relationships,[91] as the recent Magisterium has also emphasized, especially with regard to
the journey of faith of the younger generations. This is expressed, for example,
by Pope Francis: “Friendship is one of life’s gifts and a grace from God.
Through our friends, the Lord refines us and leads us to maturity.”[92] Friendship, in fact, constitutes a privileged space in which personal
witness, mutual support, and the sharing of life’s joys and struggles make it
possible to share the faith in a way that engages one’s entire existence. Along
with the family, healthy friendship is the setting par excellence for
authentic relationships,[93] where believers can accompany and support one another in following Christ.
Liturgy
90. The second
consideration linked to the rediscovery of the centrality of the proclamation of
the kerygma concerns the liturgy. If the heart of the Christian
proclamation is the encounter with God’s saving love in Christ, the liturgy
constitutes the privileged place in which this mystery is celebrated and
communicated sacramentally. For this reason, it plays a central role in handing
on the faith, serving as the beating heart of ecclesial life, where the
community is nourished by the Word of God and the Bread of eternal life. In this
regard, we must move beyond a reductive view that regards the liturgy as merely
a ritual framework for ecclesial life. The liturgy, in fact, is first and
foremost an experience of faith, even before it is a teaching, in that it allows
the faithful to participate in gestures, words, silences, and symbols, thereby
experiencing the mystery of Christ in a living way. As stated in
Evangelii Gaudium, “the Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized through the
beauty of the liturgy”[94]; precisely through its symbolic power and its ability to engage the whole
person fully, the liturgy becomes an authentic place of proclamation and
encounter with the Lord. In the liturgical action, and particularly in the
Eucharist, we are drawn ever more deeply into the Paschal Mystery, while the
sacramental character of the Church—called to be a sign of God’s love for
humanity—is made visible. In this sacramental event, the encounter with the
Risen One becomes a shared and vital act that educates believers not only by
“informing” them, but by shaping them from within so that they may become
participants in the mystery being celebrated. For this reason, in the liturgy,
faith is transmitted in a performative way: we do not merely speak of God but
enter into a relationship with him. The liturgy is living memory and tradition,
generating and shaping Christians capable of bearing witness to the salvation
they have encountered: by participating in liturgical prayer, one enters, in
fact, into a history, into a shared memory that spans the centuries. Therefore,
to celebrate means first and foremost to receive a faith that has been believed,
lived, and prayed by others before us.
91. Furthermore, this
dynamic highlights the eminently communal dimension of the liturgy. Faith, in
fact, is not transmitted solely through individual proclamation or teaching, but
within a people who celebrate together. In the liturgy, the believer is never
isolated but is part of a “we” that precedes, accompanies, and transcends him or
her. This communal dimension serves as a powerful antidote to the allure of a
selfish and individualistic lifestyle, which, as we have already seen, is so
widespread today in many contexts. Precisely because it is an ecclesial and
communal experience, the celebration of the faith is closely linked to processes
of inculturation—that is, to the effort “to communicate more effectively the
truth of the Gospel in a specific context, without renouncing the truth, the
goodness and the light which it can bring whenever perfection is not possible.”[95] Applied to the liturgy, this perspective requires preserving the richness
of the Church’s symbolic tradition, while at the same time making it accessible
and meaningful to the men and women of our time, within a healthy and fruitful
tension between fidelity to tradition and the comprehensibility of the message
being celebrated.
92. From the perspective
of the transmission of the faith, therefore, the liturgy is of crucial
importance, in accordance with the ancient adage lex orandi, lex credendi.[96] It follows that the liturgical celebration cannot be reduced to a mere
formal performance, but must be an action in which the signs truly speak to the
minds and hearts of the faithful, expressing in a vivid and concrete way the one
faith of the Church and strengthening in each believer the awareness of being a
member of the Body of Christ. Only through fully conscious participation, which
presupposes an adequate education in liturgical language, can faith be
transmitted not as an abstract doctrine, but as a new life that is communicated
by attraction in daily life. The young Augustine also bore witness to
this power of the liturgy; years after that experience, he was able to write:
“How greatly I wept at your hymns and canticles, how deeply was I moved by the
sounds of your Church sweetly singing! Those voices flowed into my ears, and
your truth melted into my heart until the feeling of devotion surged up from
within; my tears ran down, and I was the better for them.”[97] Through the beauty of the signs and the power of the Word, the liturgical
action thus becomes the generative source of the Church’s mission, enabling the
community to give an account of the hope that dwells within it, through the
credibility of a life transfigured by grace. For this reason, special care must
be taken in the celebrations, and a mystagogical accompaniment of the younger
generations is necessary, so that they may fully understand and live out what
they celebrate in the liturgy.
93. In addition, the
liturgy can be experienced in different ways. Indeed, popular piety also has its
own way of expressing a liturgical sensibility, which takes different forms
according to the various cultures. To understand this, we can cite a beautiful
account by Romano Guardini, in which he recounts his visit to Sicily: “Today I
saw something magnificent: Monreale. […] When we arrived—it was Holy
Thursday—the solemn Mass had proceeded beyond the consecration. […] What should
I say about the splendor of this place? […] The crowd sat and watched. […]
Almost no one was reading. All were living in the gaze; all were intent on
contemplation. Then it became clear to me what the foundation of true liturgical
piety is: the ability to perceive the ‘sacred’ within the image and its
dynamism. Monreale, Holy Saturday. […] Every now and then a ray of sunlight
pierced through the vault, and then a golden smile spread through the space
above. […] Yet the most beautiful thing was the people. […] The sacred ceremony
lasted more than four hours, but there was a lively participation throughout.
There are different ways of prayerful participation. One takes place through
listening, speaking and gesture, and the other through seeing. The first way is
a good one, and in Northern Europe it is the only way we know. But we have lost
something that was still present in Monreale: the capacity for
living-in-the-gaze, for dwelling in the act of seeing, for welcoming the sacred
in the form and event, by contemplating them.”[98]
94. Particular care should
also be taken to enable the faithful in every diocese, as well as those who are
approaching or returning to the community of believers, to encounter the various
liturgical sensibilities present within the tradition of the Catholic Church.
With due respect for the liturgical norms currently in force, pastors are called
to highlight the richness of the Catholic liturgical heritage—consider, for
example the variety of musical styles that characterize it—in such a way as to
enter into contact with the different sensibilities of their contemporaries.
Specific attention should also be given to accompanying the significant stages
of human life with the Church’s blessing. Especially in the West, there is a
progressive loss of the collective memory of rites and ritual practices in favor
of a highly radical form of individualism; yet this does not eliminate the
anthropological need for rituality, to which human beings have always responded
in different ways. The Christian community grows and is built up through ritual
practices, and in this regard, the Church’s rich spiritual heritage represents a
precious and inexhaustible resource.
The Role of Witness
95. The third essential
consideration concerns the witness of believers. It unfolds in three fundamental
dimensions: the witness of holiness, that of closeness, and that of the
preferential option for the poor. In every age, anyone who has encountered the
witness of an exemplary Christian has always been inspired to discover the
secret of that life—so unique and different from that of most of their fellow
human beings. A believer who lives out the demands of the Christian message to
the fullest is, in and of themselves, a constant reminder of the true light of
the world, who is Jesus Christ. As Pope Francis affirms, “holiness is the most
attractive face of the Church.”[99] It would suffice here to recall only the figures of Saint Francis of
Assisi and Saint Teresa of Calcutta. We must recognize, in fact, that nothing
makes the Church more credible in proclaiming and transmitting the faith than
the holiness of her members. For this reason, echoing the message on holiness
from the Second Vatican Council,[100] Pope Francis has repeatedly and emphatically reaffirmed that the call to
holiness is the ordinary vocation of every Christian: “To be holy does
not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted
to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs
to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy
by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do,
wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by
living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and
caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for
a living? Be holy by laboring with integrity and skill in the service of your
brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently
teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of
authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.”[101]
96. Along with bearing
witness to holiness, believers are called to offer, in the daily fabric of their
lives, a witness of closeness to everyone. This closeness is built through
hospitality, kindness, listening, gentleness, and tenderness. As the ancient
Latin author Terence once wrote: “I am a human being; nothing human is foreign
to me”[102]; indeed, nothing truly human should be foreign to believers. Every Christian is
called to help people reinterpret their own stories within the greater story of
salvation, discovering that their very lives are part of God’s narrative. This
closeness becomes a witness when it is extended to people living in situations
of severe suffering, whether physical or mental. In such cases, a gesture of
listening and tenderness, combined with a word of faith, can open wide the doors
to receiving that true light of Christ, which has the power to free from
darkness those who are enveloped by it. Pope Leo reminds us, in fact, that
“finitude, when truly accepted, does not diminish us but opens us to recognizing
the face of God and others.”[103]
97. We thus arrive at that
concrete witness to God’s love that believers offer by caring, in a preferential
way, for the poor, the disadvantaged, and the excluded. As Pope Leo XIV
recalled, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, believers should never
forget “the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for
the poor.”[104] In truth, “no Christian can regard the poor simply as a societal problem;
they are part of our ‘family.’ They are ‘one of us.’ Nor can our relationship to
the poor be reduced to merely another ecclesial activity or function.”[105] Through such active and concrete closeness to our brothers and sisters
living in poverty, the Church makes that flame of God’s love for all—the flame
Jesus came to cast upon the earth—shine out most brightly, and still today it
touches, often silently, the hearts of so many. A particularly valuable
testimony in this regard comes from the bishops of Myanmar, given during their
ad limina visit to this Dicastery on 2 June 2026. In that country, which
bears the wounds of multiple conflicts, the Church shows her closeness to the
poorest, even simply through the silence of listening, without any distinction
based on religious affiliation—Myanmar is, in fact, a predominantly Buddhist
nation. It is precisely this closeness that stirs in those who do not share the
Christian faith a desire to explore the reasons behind this way of facing
suffering, thus offering the faithful the opportunity to speak explicitly about
their experience of Jesus. In this unity between charity and the proclamation of
the Gospel, therefore, the integral beauty of the Christian way is highlighted
even more clearly.
Art and Beauty
98. A fourth specific
observation concerns the need to make room—in the discourse on the transmission
of the faith—for the many expressions of human creativity through which people
have sought to give form to that yearning for beauty, love, and transcendence
that dwells, often in a tormented way, in the human heart. How can we fail to
think, in this regard, of the many works of literature and poetry that evoke
sublime wonder and can captivate even minds distracted by modern communications
technology? Hans Urs von Balthasar, in particular, emphasized the importance of
opening oneself to beauty: “In the luminous form of the beautiful, the being of
the existent becomes perceivable as nowhere else, and this is why an aesthetic
element must be associated with all spiritual perception as with all spiritual
striving.”[106]
99. From this perspective,
special attention should be given to music, which, as a privileged expression of
the via pulchritudinis, constitutes an essential language for the
transmission of the faith, capable of touching the deepest chords of the human
heart and communicating the truth of the Gospel through beauty.[107] It is not merely an aesthetic embellishment of celebrations but a
missionary tool that works through attraction, making the glory of the Risen One
perceptible especially where words struggle to reach. In fact, as Pope Leo XIV
observed, “Music is like a bridge that leads us to God. It is capable of
transmitting feelings, emotions, even the deepest stirrings of the soul, lifting
them up and transforming them into an imaginary stairway connecting earth and
heaven.”[108] Through music, the faith finds unique avenues of expression that purely
verbal proclamation, on its own, does not always reach. These considerations
prompt us to urge artists and writers who are believers to make a special
creative effort to manifest the beauty of the Christian faith and spiritual
experience.
The Stages of Life
100. A final observation concerns the different
stages of every human being’s life (childhood, adolescence, youth, adulthood,
and old age). These stages, in fact, constitute a kind of continual
“reappropriation” of the gift of one’s birth into the world and, like that
birth, are experiences that are both surprising and challenging. The ecclesial
community must therefore develop a proclamation of the Gospel that is more
attentive to the different stages of life, giving due consideration to the
various situations of growth and renewal that each stage brings with it. At the
same time, it should be remembered that many people encounter the Church only
during celebrations marking certain fundamental moments in life: baptisms,
weddings, and funerals. Therefore, it is essential to recognize that, in such
circumstances, a precious opportunity arises to reach them with a proclamation
of the kerygma capable of touching their hearts, while avoiding words
that fail to foster any genuine encounter.
101. Of particular importance is the issue—already
discussed—of the generational divide in the transmission of the faith. In this
regard, the community of believers finds in the pastoral care of adults, who are
also the parents of the younger generations, a new field of ministry marked by
particularly complex challenges. Indeed, in the past, at least in countries
with a long Christian tradition, the proclamation of the kerygma was
directed almost exclusively at the young. Today, however, there is an
increasingly urgent need to accompany people—including those baptized at a very
young age—who live apart from the ecclesial community and who, despite feeling
an inner call to a life according to the Gospel, struggle to understand and make
the Church’s language their own. In these cases, the transmission of the faith
to the younger generations depends on the evangelization of adults. Indeed, how
can adults pass on the faith to the younger generations if they themselves do
not first live it out on a personal level? Further difficulties may also arise
from situations marked by various forms of existential poverty, especially in
urban contexts characterized by marked fragmentation or in isolated rural areas.
All of this challenges the Church as a whole, urging her to become ever more
synodal and missionary, especially by fostering the charisms that the Holy
Spirit stirs up in the People of God.
Chapter VI
Faith and Culture
102. Expanding now the scope of our reflection on
the transmission of the faith beyond the strictly ecclesial dimension, we must
address the relationship between faith and culture. A first point to note is
that many scholars emphasize how, in our time, a broader crisis is underway
regarding the transmission of knowledge and values, which also encompasses the
specific subject of these Considerations. A second point can be drawn
from some words of Saint John Paul II, which underscore the importance, with a
view to the transmission of the faith, of achieving a synthesis between faith
and culture: “The synthesis between culture and faith is not only a requirement
of culture, but also of faith. As my predecessor Paul VI taught, ‘it is
necessary to evangelize—not in a decorative way, like a superficial coat of
paint, but in a vital way, deeply and down to the roots—human culture and
cultures… always starting from the person and always returning to the
relationships of people with one another and with God.’ For while it is true
that faith is not identical with any single culture […] it is no less true that,
precisely for this reason, faith is called to inspire and permeate every
culture. It is the whole person, in the concreteness of his or her daily
existence, who is saved in Christ; and therefore, it is the whole person who
must find fulfillment in Christ. A faith that does not become culture is a faith
that has not been fully embraced, not fully thought through, and not faithfully
lived.”[109]
103. What has been said leads us to recognize that
the work of transmitting the faith is in some way inseparable from its
inculturation within a specific context, understanding “culture” here both in
its broadest anthropological sense—as the set of lifestyles, beliefs, values,
and institutions that characterize a given society—and in its narrower sense, as
the body of intellectual knowledge developed primarily in academic circles.
104. Considering this first meaning of “culture,”
it is important to recall that the inculturation of the faith constitutes a
necessary step in its transmission, since the Gospel message must be made
understandable to people who share values and categories that do not perfectly
coincide with the Hellenistic-Semitic ones in which the biblical text was
originally formulated. In the context of the transmission of the faith,
inculturation means “the incarnation of the Gospel in native cultures and also
the introduction of these cultures into the life of the Church.”[110] In this case, therefore, the inculturation of the faith becomes true
evangelization in its own right, even if it is not fully and perfectly realized,
since it is “a slow journey which accompanies the whole of missionary life. It
involves those working in the Church’s mission
Ad
Gentes, the Christian
communities as they develop, and the bishops, who have the task of providing
discernment and encouragement for its implementation.”[111] This means that culture itself becomes, in turn, a means of transmitting
the faith, because “once the Gospel has been inculturated in a people, in their
process of transmitting their culture they also transmit the faith in ever new
forms; hence the importance of understanding evangelization as inculturation.”[112]
105. It must be remembered, however, that we do
not evangelize a “place,” but always people, who must not be isolated from their
own context: “It has to do with bringing the Gospel to the people we meet,
whether they be our neighbors or complete strangers.”[113] Added to this is the task of the faithful—necessary even in countries with
an ancient Christian tradition—to translate the Good News into the various
specific cultural forms that characterize modern societies or that emerge in
certain social sectors, such as the world of youth or that of the poor. This
undoubtedly requires recognizing and fostering the charisms present throughout
the People of God in an authentic spirit of synodality, since, in the final
analysis, they are the work of the Holy Spirit. In this process, the
contribution of popular piety can certainly be valuable as well.
106. The presence of diverse social groups within
our cities—each with its own specific and often autonomous cultures and
languages—requires a special effort to inculturate the faith. In other words,
there is an urgent need for the proclamation of the Gospel to reach every level
of society. It is not enough simply to address the culture of certain groups
that constitute the majority; rather, we must learn to enter into dialogue with
the wide variety of situations and conditions of life found today. It is a
matter, therefore, of reaching what is often referred to in technical terms as
the realm of subcultures (e.g. young people on the urban peripheries, various
migrant communities, seasonal workers, residents of small villages, etc.). In
this regard, it should be noted that the International Theological Commission
will devote part of its work over the next five years to the cultural forms of
transmitting the faith and will offer a valuable stimulus to the work that is
only briefly sketched here.
107. In summary, we must reaffirm the decisive
importance of the inculturation of the faith today. Where the faith touches the
cultural roots and expressions of a people, its transmission truly becomes
easier and more fruitful.
108. As for culture in the academic-intellectual
sense, however, we can recall the words of Pope Francis: “Proclaiming the Gospel
message to different cultures also involves proclaiming it to professional,
scientific, and academic circles. This means an encounter between faith, reason
and the sciences with a view to developing new approaches and arguments on the
issue of credibility, a creative apologetics which would encourage greater
openness to the Gospel on the part of all.”[114] It is true that what intellectual research accomplishes is, at most, a
preparation that introduces one to the faith—in the manner of what have
traditionally been called the praeambula fidei—rather than its
transmission in the strict sense. Nevertheless, a reasonable presentation of the
contents of the faith and its demands constitutes an undeniable aid to the
proclamation of the kerygma, particularly in that it helps to awaken the
great questions in people’s minds and hearts.[115]
109. A particularly significant example to draw
upon in constructing such a reasonable presentation of the faith is undoubtedly
the Church’s social doctrine, through which believers enter into open dialogue
with society and even with non-believers. While remaining within the realm of
theological knowledge, the Church’s social doctrine draws extensively on
categories from the political, economic, and social sciences, often succeeding
in demonstrating the full relevance of the Christian vision for building a more
just and fraternal society. In this sense, the Church’s social teachings can
also fulfill a function analogous to that of the praeambula fidei.
Indeed, “founded on Sacred Scripture and Tradition, and in engagement with the
sciences, [the Church’s social doctrine] helps us clearly interpret the
challenges of the present and identify appropriate ways for living out a clear
Christian witness, with joy and in service to the world.”[116]
Chapter VII
Some Specific Areas of Attention
110. A community deeply committed to passing on,
from generation to generation, the light and fire of God’s love that Jesus
wished to bring into the midst of humanity and that have reached our own day
must give particular attention to several issues directly related to the theme
of these Considerations, in addition to what has been set forth thus far.
What follows is an illustrative list, which may be expanded and arranged in a
different order of priority.
111. A first area requiring attention concerns the
cultivation of popular piety. In this context, as is well known, some aspects
require a process of maturation and enrichment. Nevertheless, the great strength
of this resource within the Catholic tradition remains clear. No one can deny
that popular piety remains an important means of transmitting the faith today.
For this reason, it is necessary to foster a renewed commitment to it, both
intellectually and from the heart. Moreover, its great flexibility has always
allowed it to renew itself and take on very diverse forms over the centuries,
even surviving the attacks that culture—and at times even members of the Church
themselves—have often directed against it.
112. On the evangelizing power of popular
piety—and thus its important role in transmitting the faith—the guidance in
paragraphs 122–126 of
Evangelii Gaudium is invaluable. There we read, in
fact, that “popular piety enables us to see how the faith, once received,
becomes embodied in a culture and is constantly passed on.”[117] In truth, every authentic inculturation of the faith always gives rise to
a form of popular expression of that faith. Human life unfolds through words and
gestures, which form the horizon within which people grow and encounter others.
Every culture is expressed in concrete practices and is reflected and handed
down through them. The same consideration applies to the experience of faith.
Every inculturation of the faith creates specific religious practices that
reflect it and allow it to be passed down through the generations. For this
reason, then, “underlying popular piety, as a fruit of the inculturated Gospel,
is an active evangelizing power which we must not underestimate: to do so would
be to fail to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit. Instead, we are called to
promote and strengthen it, in order to deepen the never-ending process of
inculturation. Expressions of popular piety have much to teach us; for those who
are capable of reading them, they are a locus theologicus which demands
our attention, especially at a time when we are looking to the new
evangelization”[118] and to the question of the transmission of the faith.
113. In this context, it is worth recalling the
appeal that both traditional and more recent forms of pilgrimage hold for the
younger generations, as well as the desire to belong to a confraternity, as has
been the case recently in Spain, for example.[119] For many young people, especially in Western contexts, the search for
meaning in a world increasingly closed in upon itself, and the search for a form
of religious belonging capable of giving shape to their need for identity in a
highly individualized world, stand out as crucial needs. These needs find
concrete expression in participation in pilgrimages and in the desire to join a
confraternity. Within the context of the principal theme of these
Considerations, there is an urgent need to ask how best to “make use of”
these questions and needs of our younger contemporaries, so that they may become
a channel through which the light of Christ can flood their often-troubled
lives.
114. A second area of attention must be the
homily. Pope Francis devoted considerable space to it in the Apostolic
Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium,[120] attesting to its importance for the proclamation and transmission of the
faith; readers are referred to that text for further exploration. A
well-prepared homily can play a decisive role in presenting the contents of the
faith in a narrative form that reinterprets the Word of God in light of the
concrete lives of the people, thereby fostering a living experience of encounter
with Christ. Jesus himself appears in the Gospels first and foremost as a great
storyteller. He rarely begins his discourses with abstract concepts; instead, he
uses images, metaphors, and parables. He often draws on people’s daily lives,
offering stories that can open his listeners’ imaginations before engaging their
intellect. Parables, in fact, do more than simply inform; they can form and
transform their listeners. The stories told by Jesus do not simply make his
discourse more interesting; rather, they constitute the hermeneutical key
through which the listener is introduced to the mystery of the Kingdom. In this
regard, the great homiletic tradition of the Church Fathers, both Eastern and
Western, can offer a valuable contribution to pastors.
115. A third area of attention stems from the
desire for commitment that many people, especially the young, express through
volunteer work. The concrete pursuit of such a commitment often provides an
opportunity to draw closer to the reality of the Church. These people feel a
sincere and profound need to give something to others; they therefore feel the
urgency to step outside their individual boundaries and move beyond the mindset
that views possession as the ultimate criterion of happiness. This does not
immediately imply an interest in the faith, but it represents a good opportunity
for proclamation and for offering friendship with the Lord Jesus, who provides
even deeper motivations for such commitment. The entire community of believers
is called to welcome these “Good Samaritans” of our time and to accompany them
with kindness and passion toward that encounter with the fire of God’s love,
which the Church cherishes as a precious treasure on her journey through the
world.
116. A fourth area of attention concerns the need
to expand opportunities for women to participate in the leadership of ecclesial
processes. In the Catholic Church, in general, the faithful who are most present
and active in the life of communities are largely women. In recent years,
however, the need to allow women access to those forums where important
decisions regarding the life of the community are made has become increasingly
clear. The Dicastery has studied this topic extensively and submitted its
conclusions to the Holy Father through the Secretariat of the Synod.
117. A specific aspect of our times calls for
further attention. Indeed, we should not underestimate the strong desire many
people today express to take part in large events (music festivals and the
like). This also highlights the fact that even intensive use of digital
technologies is not sufficient to meet all the needs of the human person. Thus,
even in our time, the need for companionship—the necessity and desire to share
with others—is becoming apparent. While acknowledging that faith is transmitted
in a privileged way from one “you” to another “you,” we should view this aspect
of contemporary life as a valuable opportunity to spread the Gospel by seeking
to create occasions that bring people together around the great themes of the
present moment, such as peace.
118. Further grounds for reflection can be found
in the study of Church history, particularly in those moments when the Church
was able to respond positively to the epochal changes she encountered along her
historical path. Among these, we can cite the crisis that followed the collapse
of Roman institutions in Western Europe, with the resulting abandonment of
cities, where Christianity was most deeply rooted. In this context, the
emergence of Irish monasticism, which flourished in the second half of the first
Christian millennium, proved decisive: not only did it safeguard and deepen the
understanding of the faith, but it also gave rise to new forms of evangelization
and, at the same time, contributed to significant developments in sacramental
practice, such as the spread of auricular confession. A second example is
provided by the doctrinal and pastoral crisis caused by the spread of Catharism
and various pauperist movements, often opposed to the Church, during the Middle
Ages. In response, the mendicant orders, including those founded by Saint
Dominic and Saint Francis of Assisi, embodied renewed evangelical vitality
through radical poverty, itinerant preaching, and theological teaching carried
out in full communion with the Church. A further example is the impetus toward
far-reaching Catholic reform prompted by the profound ecclesial rupture brought
about by the Protestant Reformation, in which figures such as Saint Teresa of
Ávila and Saint Ignatius of Loyola played leading roles. This renewal coincided
with the Church’s missionary expansion into newly discovered lands open to the
proclamation of the Gospel, thereby helping to give it new momentum. Finally, it
is worth recalling the Church’s response in the nineteenth century to the
profound changes brought about by the social question and the consequences of
the Industrial Revolution, which led her to formulate her social doctrine in a
more systematic way. In each of these cases, a moment of crisis became the
occasion for creative initiatives that proved decisive for evangelization and
also coincided with a broader transition between historical eras.
119. Today, a specific investigation into the
sudden decline of Catholicism in countries where it was deeply rooted is
necessary to understand its causes and develop an appropriate pastoral response.
120. A further and decisive area of attention is
the world of Catholic schools and universities, as well as other Catholic
institutions, especially those dedicated to charitable works. As the bishops of
Ghana attest: “The transmission of the Catholic faith is significantly
strengthened through Catholic education, which serves as an important channel
for continuous formation among children, youth, and even adults.”[121] In other countries, such as Venezuela, the religious education program
facilitates integration between school and parish activities, confirming the
pastoral value of Catholic schools as well.[122] Above all, in countries where Catholics represent a minority—sometimes an
extremely small one—these institutions often constitute the only point of
contact that a large part of the population has with the Catholic Church.
However, in several regions, restrictions on the teaching of religion in schools
mean that parishes must bear the entire burden of catechesis.
121. Compared to traditional settings for pastoral
ministry, schools offer a more institutional and almost professional form of
engagement, yet one that is no less capable of transmitting at least a small
spark of that fire of love that has burned through the centuries and, from
Jesus, has reached our own day. In fact, such institutions can offer an almost
transparent witness to intellectual and material charity, capable of
spontaneously directing people toward the beauty of the Gospel and its
humanizing power. The bishops of France also attest to this: “Catholic education
is a fundamental setting for the initial proclamation to children, young people,
and families, which can lead young people—but also their parents—to seek
Christian initiation.”[123] In a broader context, believers are thus invited always to defend the
centrality of the school as a place “where new generations can learn to seek and
love the truth, to reflect on the meaning of life and to recognize the dignity
of every person.”[124]
122. A final point of attention concerns
ecumenical commitment, which is an intrinsic dimension of the Church’s
evangelizing mission and, therefore, also of the transmission of the faith. In
fact, as the Second Vatican Council’s Decree
Unitatis Redintegratio observes, the division among Christians “openly contradicts the will of Christ,
scandalizes the world, and damages that most holy cause, the preaching of the
Gospel to every creature.”[125] Far from representing an alternative to proclamation, ecumenical dialogue
constitutes a specific form of it, in which the shared search for truth, mutual
listening, and the witness of charity make the proclamation of the kerygma
more credible in the face of an increasingly secularized and pluralistic world.
As Saint John Paul II reminded us, “efforts toward unity are themselves a sign
of the work of reconciliation which God is bringing about in our midst,”[126] concretely manifesting that the Father is, forever and for all, love. This
invites the community of believers to make Pope Francis’s confident appeal their
own: “If we really believe in the abundantly free working of the Holy Spirit, we
can learn so much from one another! It is not just about being better informed
about others, but rather about reaping what the Spirit has sown in them, which
is also meant to be a gift for us,”[127] so that we may “progress decidedly towards common expressions of
proclamation, service and witness.”[128]
123. In the same vein, we must recognize that some
members of other religions and religious movements are committed to bearing
witness to their faith in God within a cultural context that tends to close
itself within a barren immanence. Likewise, some members of other Christian
Churches and ecclesial communities are seeking new ways to proclaim the Gospel
and the love of Christ in our time. We can also learn from their positive
experiences and creative efforts, so that our commitment to transmitting the
full richness of the treasure of faith, received as a gift, may always bear
fruit.
Chapter VIII
Personal Testimonies
124. At this point, as mentioned in the
Introduction to these Considerations, we present, by way of example, some
personal testimonies from people who have experienced an encounter with Christ
or rediscovered a living relationship with him in their lives. For reasons of
confidentiality, their names will not be disclosed; only their places of origin
will be given, with the assurance that these are authentic testimonies,
genuinely shared for the edification of the universal Church. The Dicastery for
the Doctrine of the Faith extends its sincere gratitude to those who have shared
their stories, as well as to the Bishops’ Conferences that have forwarded this
material. In many cases, these accounts do not recount great feats or miraculous
events but rather share simple occurrences in which the action of grace is
manifested in the fabric of daily life, allowing each person to recognize
something of their own experience in them. They show how every circumstance,
even the smallest and most seemingly insignificant, can become an opportunity to
encounter the Eternal One and a step along the history of salvation that God is
building with and for us. Due to space limitations, it is not possible to
include all the testimonies received; therefore, it was necessary to select
those aligned with the themes of this document and to avoid repetition. Each
one, however, represents a treasure of grace that bears witness to how the Lord,
even in this time of epochal change, never ceases to assist and accompany his
Church. The following pages aim to translate some of the aspects developed in
the previous chapters into the language of everyday life.
From the Abyss of Addiction to the Freedom of Encounter with Christ
125. The first personal testimony[129] comes from Colombia and shows how, even in situations of the deepest moral
and existential degradation, God never ceases to call a person through the voice
of conscience and to offer his salvation through the work of others in the
faith: “When I was about 13 or 14 years old, I started using drugs, began to
fall into immorality, and got involved with gangs; I hung out with gangs, got
into fights, handled weapons, extorted money, stole, and sold drugs. And that
was my life. My family grew tired of me until I ended up living on the streets.
I’d say to my mother, ‘Mom, I want to change.’ She’d say to me, ‘No, you’re
sick; first you need to get better.’ And I’d reply, ‘What are you talking about?
I can get out of this on my own.’ But I needed help; my pride and arrogance
would not allow it. And I felt a very deep longing in my heart for something
more, something wonderful, something good: to love, and to feel loved. I had
nowhere to live, nowhere to bathe, nowhere to eat—nothing. By God’s grace and
mercy [through my family, I found a rehabilitation center run by a Christian
foundation]. They do not use shock therapy or medication there; what you
experience there is prayer: the Holy Rosary, lectio divina, the Holy
Eucharist…That is where my journey of conversion began. In that place, the Lord
began to transform my life profoundly, because I began to see how many wounds
and how many voids there were in my heart, and how much I needed love,
forgiveness, and God’s mercy. Then I went as a missionary for two and a half
years, receiving training, serving at retreats, and leading meetings. After
that, I returned to the foundation where I had been. I stayed there for a year,
accompanying the young people as an educator and sharing with them a little of
what the Lord had done in me. Now I have my own job and am part of a community
dedicated to prayer, mission, and evangelization. God has transformed my life
and my heart and has made me a new man.”
126. Other testimonies show how, at times, a very
simple circumstance—such as scrolling through posts on social media—can
be enough for grace to make possible a life-transforming encounter, as a young
man from Belgium recounts: “When I was around 17, I wanted to be baptized but
didn’t know where to go. I had experienced heartbreak, struggled with alcohol
addiction, and shed many tears. One day, while scrolling through TikTok, I came
across a prayer. It was like an electric shock and a source of comfort all at
once. I wasn’t a believer and was going about my life peacefully. If I’m here
today, it’s in response to the most significant call of my life. This isn’t an
intellectual reflection, but a personal encounter in which Jesus spoke to me. I
approached the Church without truly believing, mainly out of respect for my
grandparents and a desire to preserve traditions. Since finding faith, I truly
have a different view of the world. I feel that everything is all right, whereas
my life, before my encounter with Christ, was complicated.”
127. Staying with the theme of redemption and
liberation, a significant testimony to the liberating power of the kerygma
is offered by the account of a chaplain who carries out his ministry in the
prisons of a diocese in Canada: “The prison setting is often a place of crisis
and of re-evaluating one’s life. The deprivation of freedom fosters a
confrontation with oneself, with one’s own actions, and with the meaning of
one’s existence. In this context, a request for baptism frequently emerges as a
search for a new beginning—indeed, for redemption. The people I meet often
express a search for meaning that goes beyond the previous contexts of their
lives. Catechetical conversations open a space where the great
questions—suffering, guilt, forgiveness, hope—can be addressed in a structured
way. It is clear that conversion does not arise solely from doctrinal content,
but also from a relationship built on trust and listening. Pastoral
accompaniment, sustained over time, serves as an essential bridge through which
faith becomes conceivable and accessible. A central element of the conversions
observed is the encounter with the image of a God who forgives and lifts people
up. This is particularly significant in a context marked by guilt and
condemnation. Thus, a renewed interest in the spiritual and existential
dimensions of faith is evident. Conversion often appears as a powerful personal
experience.”
The “Reawakening” of the Kerygma: The Role of the Family and of Prayer
128. In families, not only the epochal change but
also tragic events can severely test personal faith. However, even in these
situations, the Lord does not abandon his children, as this account from Chile
attests: “My faith had weakened to such an extent that I went as far as to
declare myself an atheist. Amid that desert, a devastating blow struck: the
death of my mother. For five years I carried an inconsolable grief; I mourned
her every day without finding any answers. It was then that God used the
simplest of occasions: my youngest daughter’s catechism class. I attended the
sessions only out of a sense of duty. It was during that process that the
unexpected happened: through the Eucharist, I experienced a personal
encounter—or rather, a re-encounter—with Jesus Christ. He took my pain, dried my
tears for my mother, and gave me a peace that the world cannot give.”
129. Another testimony, concerning the obstacles
to passing on the faith within the family, comes from a mother in Slovakia: “My
father was an alcoholic. He destroyed my mother and me during my childhood… When
he drank, he was aggressive; he cursed; he blasphemed; he smashed the furniture
in the house… whatever came within his reach; we often had to flee the house.
Over the years a sense of unforgiveness—and perhaps even hatred—toward him had
built up in me. Only within the community, through the Word of God and
formation, did I realize that I was judging my father for who he was, and that I
was also judging God for giving me such a father. When I found the courage, in
the light of God’s Word, I went to my father and asked him for forgiveness. It
was a very powerful experience for me. Even though my father didn’t fully
understand what I was saying, I saw that I had finally found inner peace, and
our relationship improved as well. Although my father did not practice religion
in any way, he departed for eternity reconciled with my mother and me after
having gone to confession. [Today] my husband and I are committed to passing on
the faith to our four children. We teach them by sharing our own experience, not
as moralizing (in the sense that ‘you, too, must see it or do it this way’). We
tell them that God will act in a special way in their lives as well, and that it
is important to welcome all the help the Church offers them, so that they may
live a life that has meaning.”
130. At other times, it is the believing partner
who draws the other into a journey of faith, as this experience from the United
States of America attests: “My journey toward the Catholic Church began because
of my fiancée. She was raised Catholic, and her faith has always been important
to her. As we prepared for marriage, she expressed her desire to have a Catholic
wedding. Wanting to better understand something so meaningful to her, I decided
to explore the faith. I encountered a welcoming community and a group of
dedicated teachers who made the learning process engaging and meaningful. I was
impressed by the parish’s community and the good that it does in the local
community. The people there impressed upon me the value of not only having faith
but living it. As I look forward to receiving Baptism and Confirmation at the
Easter Vigil, I do so with gratitude and anticipation.”
131. A testimony from Japan points in the same
direction: “A man began to come into contact with the Church through his
marriage to a Catholic woman. At first, he attended marriage preparation courses
simply in preparation for the wedding, but he gradually found himself drawn by
the warm welcome of the parish community and by the quietness of the liturgy.
After the birth of his child, he began to ask himself what he wished to pass on
to his child in life, and, having undertaken a deeper study of the faith, he was
baptized several years later. For him, the Church to which he had first come for
the sake of his family became the place where his own way of life was called
into question.”
132. Even the Sacrament of Matrimony can become an
opportunity for rediscovering the faith, as evidenced by an experience shared by
the bishops of Angola: “An engaged couple: she was Catholic, from a family in
which the faith had been very strongly passed down through the generations; he
was indifferent to God and religion. She informed him that a Catholic marriage
would be a sine qua non condition for the progression of their
relationship. [During a family gathering,] a priest—a relative of the fiancé’s
family—confronted the Catholic fiancée about her intention to marry a man who
was willing only to grant her the pleasure of a Catholic wedding ceremony, while
disregarding the intrinsic value of that marriage. [The priest] similarly
confronted the fiancé, who was concerned only with the carnal aspect and
disregarded every other aspect of marriage’s value. Coming to his senses, the
fiancé felt ashamed of his contradictions… he, who had had no Christian
background whatsoever—the very thing that was now beginning to make sense to
him. This unsettling experience sparked his curiosity about the Catholic faith;
he began attending catechism classes, was baptized, completed a marriage
preparation course, got married in church, and became a regular participant in
the liturgy and active in the parish’s pastoral life.”
133. At other times, the reawakening of faith
arises from experiences of prayer and fellowship, as in the case of a laywoman
from Poland, who recounts having rediscovered a living faith through an
initiative promoted by the Catholic charismatic movement: “It all began with the
decision to attend a retreat that lasted several weeks, as part of the Seminar
on the Renewal of Faith. At the time, I felt as though I had a fairly good,
normal, and orderly life. More and more often, however, deep in my heart I felt
that what I was building my life on was not lasting. The emptiness that appeared
ever more frequently in my heart could not be filled by anything. I realized my
faith was dead. It was merely the fulfillment of certain religious duties and
practices that I had been taught. During the Seminar, I came to know a God who
loves freely, who is a Father, who cares, who waits, and who seeks out the lost
to give them love, happiness, and joy. It was my personal encounter with Jesus,
who tangibly ‘touched’ my heart to draw me out of the darkness in which I had
been living for years. After those purifying tears came great joy, freedom,
strength, and hope that filled my whole heart and my entire being. My faith
ceased to be an afterthought in my life; it became the sole meaning of my
existence. It ceased to be dead and became alive. I finally felt secure, free,
and at peace. Saint Augustine’s words, ‘The human heart is restless until it
rests in God,’ have been fulfilled 100% in my life.”
134. Another particularly powerful testimony in
this regard comes from a French student: “Born to a Lebanese Shiite father who
became an atheist and a non-practicing French Catholic mother, I grew up in a
state of spiritual wandering. My parents wanted to give us freedom in our
religious choices, but this silence felt like a void for a long time. However,
when I was 8 years old, I found a Bible… This initial spark was nourished by my
school years in Chartres, where I found refuge and peace beneath the cathedral’s
pillars after classes. The real turning point came in 2004, during my
preparatory courses [for university]. Alone, far from my family, and overwhelmed
by the pressure of entrance exams, I experienced a true revelation. One evening,
sitting at my desk, the truth became clear: God existed; He was there, right
beside me, with an almost tangible presence. This immense relief transformed my
loneliness into a journey in good company. The Lord then placed witnesses in my
path… [including] a Maronite Christian, [who] carried within him a radiant
faith. One day, when I saw an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that he kept in
his wallet, I realized it was He—Jesus—who had visited me that evening in my
student dorm room. Nevertheless… the frenetic pace of my work led me to burnout
in 2019. In that breakdown, only Jesus saved me. I then embarked on a
pilgrimage of healing… I radically changed my life. Today my life is stable and
happy; I feel that it is finally time to fulfill my promise. By receiving the
sacraments of Christian initiation, I wish to seal for eternity my covenant with
Christ who has never abandoned me.”
135. At other times, it is the power of prayer and
the sacraments that provide support in times of crisis, as evidenced by the
experience of a woman from Jamaica: “I was a cradle Catholic raised by a mother
who was a faithful Catholic. As a child growing up in a very small town in
Jamaica, I would even read and serve at the altar because many of the
parishioners were hardly educated, and many could not read. I gave God what I
was comfortable giving him. There were times when I gave 90%, and other times
when it was 20%. About 15 years ago, despite fervently praying to get out of [a
certain] situation, it felt like God wasn’t answering. Eventually, it came to a
point where I felt that God simply wasn’t listening… I began to believe that
there was no point in praying. So, at that time, I stopped praying completely…
What followed was a major crisis of faith. I began to truly question and doubt
everything. I was feeling very much like an imposter. I was teaching the
children their catechism, while I was not even sure that I believed what I was
teaching. But God always knows where to find us and how to reach us. My mind
began to comprehend the true power in the sacraments… and, above all, in the
Eucharist: that Jesus is right there. The challenges I was wrestling with—the
ones that caused my crisis of faith—still exist, but what has changed is the way
I pray. The focus of my prayers is no longer on what God can give me. Instead, I
ask what I can give to God.”
The Witness of Charity, Culture, and Beauty
136. As discussed earlier, an important pathway to
faith is beauty—the via pulchritudinis—that beauty which, as the medieval
masters taught, is the synthesis of truth and goodness. In a word, it is the
beauty of love, which manifests itself in a multitude of forms. It is this theme
of beauty, capable of bringing together intellectual rigor and aesthetic
experience, which provides the context for the testimony of a neurobiology
student from Switzerland: “I grew up in an atheist family. For us, ‘Cartesian’
was the watchword—often presented as a clear antithesis to faith. God’s presence
in my life manifested itself like a whisper of wind in the distance. The first
time I experienced this sense of fulfillment was while listening to an
extraordinary performance of a piece by Chopin. Then there was that evening
when, from the summit of a mountain in Crimea, I gazed upon the immensity of the
Black Sea and the mountains stretching out at my feet. I thought I felt that
peace because I was contemplating the beauty of humanity. [Then] one day I
walked through the doors of Chartres Cathedral. The question no longer arose:
the source was right there, before my eyes. I don’t know when my journey with
God began, but I’m certain I welcomed him the first time I knelt down to pray.
It was a bath of peace, a balm for the soul. When I realized the path that I was
embarking on, I decided to keep a low profile. In scientific circles, any
mention of the subject is accompanied by lengthy debates, disparaging criticism,
and even outright blasphemy. I experienced my first prayers, my first rosaries,
and my first Masses alone. I thought I would join the community once I had
acquired sufficient knowledge. To my great surprise, it was the community that
welcomed me. I was fortunate enough to be baptized, thanks to the insistence of
my maternal grandparents. I believe the time has come to close the chapter of
discovery and move forward fully into my life as a Catholic. I have therefore
embarked on my journey toward Confirmation.”
137. At other times, it is the simplicity of
charity—manifested in kindness and hospitality—that opens the doors to faith, as
in the testimony of a Vietnamese catechumen, shared by the bishops of Malaysia:
“I was born into a Buddhist family. I grew up without paying much attention to
religion. I came to Malaysia because I wanted to study English. Such classes in
Vietnam are expensive, but I found a free English class run by Filipino
Christians. I was welcomed by everyone. They taught with sincerity and even
provided food and drinks. I could see their kindness and generosity. They
treated everyone equally. During one of the classes, a video was shown on the
passion and resurrection of Jesus, ending with a simple question: Where is God?
But I felt something. It was a small stirring—but it lingered. Years later, I
met a Malaysian [Christian] through work and started attending Mass with him. At
the church, people were kind, and the homilies touched me. But the old question
returned: Who is God? With my friend’s help, I enrolled in catechumenate classes
and will be baptized this year. I feel stronger, less afraid of life’s
challenges. I am not only ready to become Catholic, but ready to become part of
God’s miracle.”
Conclusion
138. Toward the end of his life, Pope Francis
entrusted the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith with the task of offering
the Church a reflection on the transmission of the faith, and Pope Leo XIV
subsequently reiterated this request. The Dicastery has embraced this task in
the spirit of the missionary renewal that is asked of the whole People of God,
including the institutions of the Roman Curia. In fact, its service is not
limited to safeguarding a deposit of doctrines to be believed (credere Deum)
but also includes promoting everything that fosters personal and active
engagement in receiving the light of faith (credere Deo and credere in
Deum). In particular, this falls within the work of the Doctrinal Section of
the Dicastery, which is called to foster “studies aimed at increasing the
understanding and transmission of the faith in the service of evangelization, so
that its light may be a criterion for understanding the meaning of existence.”[130] The question of the transmission of the faith, therefore, does not
distance us from the depositum fidei, nor does it imply reducing the
discussion to the purely subjective dimension of fides qua. Rather, it
calls the faithful to return to the heart of the heritage of Christian faith.
The kerygma is, in fact, its central content, which runs like a golden
thread through the harmonious hierarchy of the “truths of Catholic doctrine”[131] and illuminates all the contents of the depositum fidei, drawing
people toward the experience of a personal and communal encounter with the
living Christ.
139. Over the course of the reflections outlined
in this document, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has gladly
welcomed the generous response of numerous Bishops’ Conferences, which have
expressed their sincere concern for this issue. The wealth of contributions
received goes beyond the scope of a single document. Therefore, the issue
addressed in these Considerations remains open to further study and new
developments. This Dicastery recognizes that this work falls within the purview
of another Dicastery: namely, the Dicastery for Evangelization’s Section for
Fundamental Questions Regarding Evangelization in the World, which has long been
engaged in research and dialogue not only on the transmission of the faith but
also on related topics, such as the catechumenate, various forms of catechesis,
the formation of the faithful, community contexts for welcoming and nurturing
new believers, and more.
140. We would like to conclude these
Considerations on the transmission of the faith in the context of an epochal
change with an image very dear to every believer, one capable of serving as a
symbol of hope for the future. It is the image of the lighting of the paschal
candle and its placement on the altar, following the procession through the nave
of the church, during the solemn Easter Vigil in the Latin Rite. As is well
known, the procession begins after the candle is lit; everyone proceeds with
unlit candles in their hands, except for the deacon, who carries the paschal
candle. Subsequently, the celebrant first, and then the other participants,
receive from the paschal candle—or from candles lit from it—the flame with which
to light their own candles; they, in turn, may pass it on to others.
141. Three times, with the proclamation “The Light
of Christ” (or, in some countries, an alternative formula), the deacon proclaims
to the world the presence of Christ’s light, which becomes visible as the
candles are gradually lit. Thus, from the single flame of the paschal candle,
the candles of the faithful are gradually lit in an orderly fashion, and at the
end of the procession, the lights of the church are also turned on.
142. We would thus like to envision the impetus
that these Considerations aim to offer the Church in this time of epochal
change. They seek to give a strong reminder that Christ is the true light.
He enlightens because he frees us from darkness and leads us into the fullness
of life, which comes to fulfillment as we welcome God’s unconditional love into
our hearts. We, believers, have already been granted the gift of encountering
the light and of allowing our lives to be illuminated by the “true light” of the
world (cf. Jn 1:9). It is now up to us to pass on this same gift to the
men and women of our time, who—perhaps without fully realizing it—also await the
possibility of kindling their lives from that same source of every grace, the
light that shines in the world.
143. Finally, we cannot overlook the witness of so
many lay evangelizers who, in recent times, have attained holiness. Many young
people have admired the passion for evangelization in Saint Carlo Acutis, as
well as the admirable example of Saint María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, known as
“Mama Antula,” in her long evangelizing pilgrimage. Numerous laypeople have
given their lives to the work of bringing the light of Christ: Saint Sebastian,
Saint Paul Chong Hasang, and Saint Peter To Rot. Together with them,
contemplatives nourish the fire of faith through prayer and intercession, for
without the action of the Holy Spirit all our efforts are in vain. We therefore
invite all communities to promote times of prayer and intercession that support
the transmission of the light of faith.
144. Mary, who has made herself present among the
various peoples through the many forms of their faith and devotion, thereby
making her maternal closeness more recognizable, always carries with her the
light and love of the Lord. The Gospel tells us that she has done so from the
very beginning, when she brought Jesus to Elizabeth (cf. Lk 1:39–45). She
continues to do so today as well, offering the beauty of the Gospel. Mary, in
fact, carefully pondered and treasured in her heart all that Christ did and said
(cf. Lk 2:19, 51). She was the great witness, from the Incarnation and
the birth of the Lord to his death on the Cross and his Resurrection,
accompanying him throughout his entire earthly life. Therefore, before the face
of Mary, the faithful recognize “in this maternal image all the mysteries of the Gospel.”[132] Those who view the Marian faith of the simple with a purely intellectual
attitude risk failing to understand that the Gospel of Christ is often
transmitted in a mystagogical way: through symbols, experiences, trust, and
affection. Let us ask Mary, our teacher of the transmission of the faith, to
intercede for us in our renewed commitment to bring the light of Christ to new
generations.
Pope Leo XIV, during the audience granted to the undersigned Prefect together
with the Secretary for the Doctrinal Section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine
of the Faith on 21 August 2026, the liturgical memorial of Pope Saint Pius X,
approved this document, which was adopted during the Ordinary Session of this
Dicastery on 24 June 2026, the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the
Baptist, and ordered its publication.
Given in Rome, at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the
Faith, on 22 October 2026, the Memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II.
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández
Prefect
Msgr. Armando Matteo
Secretary for the
Doctrinal Section
Ex Audientia die 21 Augusti 2026
Leo PP. XIV
[1] Leo XIV,
Address to the Italian Episcopal Conference (17 June
2025): L’Osservatore Romano, 17 June 2025, 2.
[2] Leo XIV,
Address to Participants in the Plenary Assembly of the
Dicastery for Evangelization—Section for Fundamental Questions Regarding
Evangelization in the World (28 May 2026): L’Osservatore Romano, 28
May 2026, 2.
[3] To help the reader find their way through these
Considerations,
which unfold across several chapters, it may be useful to provide, from the
outset, a brief overview of their thematic progression. Chapters I and II lay
the theological foundations, beginning with the proclamation of the Father’s
love manifested in the person and works of Jesus of Nazareth and moving on to
its primary contexts of transmission within the Church—namely, the family and
the community. Chapter III focuses on the challenges posed by this epochal
change, characterized by an unprecedented difficulty in maintaining the
traditional forms of transmitting the faith. Chapter IV responds to these
challenges by pointing to the beating heart of this work—namely, the
proclamation of the kerygma. Chapter V presents practical reflections on
the transmission of the faith in community life, considering the various aspects
of that life, while Chapters VI and VII, respectively, explore the relationship
between faith and culture and highlight certain specific pastoral concerns.
Finally, Chapter VIII brings together several concrete personal testimonies that
illustrate the transmission of the faith in the context of people’s daily lives.
[4] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution
Gaudium et
Spes (7 December 1965), par. 22: AAS 58 (1966), 1043.
[5] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Christus Vivit (25 March 2019), par.
1: AAS 111 (2019), 391.
[6] Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter
Deus Caritas Est (25 December
2005), par. 1: AAS 98 (2006), 217.
[7] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 1: AAS 105 (2013), 1019.
[8] Francis, Encyclical Letter
Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013), par. 1: AAS 105 (2013), 555–556.
[9] Francis, Encyclical Letter
Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013), par. 37: AAS 105 (2013), 580.
[10] Francis, Encyclical Letter
Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013), par. 38: AAS 105 (2013), 580.
[11] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution
Dei Verbum (18 November 1965), par. 8: AAS 58 (1966), 821.
[12] Cf. Thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops,
Instrumentum Laboris (2012), par. 105.
[13] Francis, Encyclical Letter
Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013), par. 38: AAS 105 (2013), 581.
[14] Benedict XVI,
Homily for the Holy Mass for the Inauguration of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean
(13 May 2007): Insegnamenti III, 1 (2007), 848–849.
[15] Leo XIV,
Address on the Occasion of the Extraordinary Consistory
(7
January 2026): L’Osservatore Romano, 8 January 2026, 2.
[16] Leo XIV,
Homily on the Occasion of the Jubilee of Families,
Grandparents, and the Elderly (1 June 2025): L’Osservatore Romano, 2
June 2025, 2.
[17] Leo XIV,
Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (11 January
2026): L’Osservatore Romano, 12 January 2026, 4.
[18] Francis, Encyclical Letter
Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013), par. 43: AAS 105 (2013), 584.
[19] Francis, Encyclical Letter
Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013), par. 53: AAS 105 (2013), 591.
[20] Personal testimony of Fr. Duval, available at
http://pierre.aime.duval.free.fr/priere.htm (original in French, translation by
the Dicastery).
[21] Francis,
Homily for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and the
Celebration of the Baptism of Several Children (7 January 2018): L’Osservatore Romano, 8–9 January 2018, 8.
[22] Leo XIV,
Homily on the Occasion of the Jubilee of Catechists (28
September 2025): L’Osservatore Romano, 29 September 2025, 2.
[23] Cf. Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 70: AAS 105 (2013), 1049–1050.
[24] Francis, Encyclical Letter
Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013), par. 18: AAS 105 (2013), 565.
[25] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 14: AAS 105 (2013), 1025, which cites Benedict XVI,
Homily
at Mass for the Conclusion of the Synod of Bishops (28 October 2012): AAS
104 (2012), 890. Emphasis in the original.
[26] Francis,
Christmas Greetings to the Roman Curia (21 December 2019):
AAS 112 (2020), 43. More precisely, the expression “epochal change” did
not first appear in that address; rather, Pope Francis had already used it
during his 29 June 2014 interview with the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
[27] Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council,
Final Document of the
Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops (13-31
May 2007), par. 44.
[28] Cf. Francis, Encyclical Letter
Fratelli Tutti (3 October 2020),
par. 30: AAS 112 (2020), 979–980.
[29] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), par.
6.
[30] Leo XIV,
Address to the Major Superiors of the Society of Jesus
(24
October 2025): L’Osservatore Romano, 24 October 2025, 5.
[31] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), par.
26.
[32] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 70: AAS 105 (2013), 1049.
[33] Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia,
Report on the Transmission of
the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference, 30 March 2026,
in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[34] Cf. Episcopal Conference of Albania,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference,
19 March 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[35] Hungarian Greek Catholic Metropolitan Church,
Report and Testimonies
about the Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Church sui
iuris, 7 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the
Faith.
[36] Episcopal Conference of Chile,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference,
11 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[37] Cf. Episcopal Conference of the Antilles, Pastoral Letter
A Mandate for
the Kingdom: Mission and Evangelization in the Caribbean, 9 January 2018,
par. 30.
[38] Episcopal Conference of Panama,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference,
14 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[39] Cf. Episcopal Conference of Colombia,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference,
16 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[40] Cf. Peruvian Episcopal Conference,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference,
30 March 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[41] Cf. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea,
Report on the Transmission
of the Faith within the Territory of the Bishops’ Conference, 31 March 2026,
in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[42] Cf. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei,
Report and Testimonies about the Transmission of the Faith within the Territory
of the Bishops’ Conference, 3 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery
for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[43] Cf. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh,
Report on the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Bishops’ Conference,
15 May 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[44] Cf. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan,
Report and Testimonies about
the Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Bishops’ Conference,
20 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[45] Cf. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Central Asia,
Report and
Testimonies about the Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the
Bishops’ Conference, 3 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the
Doctrine of the Faith.
[46] Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference,
Report and Testimonies
about the Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal
Conference, 4 May 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of
the Faith.
[47] Cf. Zambian Conference of Catholic Bishops,
Report and Testimonies
about the Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal
Conference, 10 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine
of the Faith.
[48] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 73: AAS 105 (2013), 1050–1051.
[49] United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
Report and Testimonies
about the Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal
Conference, 30 March 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine
of the Faith.
[50] Romanian Episcopal Conference,
Report on the Transmission of the Faith
within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference, 14 April 2026, in the
Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[51] Francis, Encyclical Letter
Fratelli Tutti (3 October 2020), par.
105: AAS 112 (2020), 1005.
[52] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 64: AAS 105 (2013), 1047.
[53] Spanish Bishops’ Conference,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference,
14 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[54] Brazilian Bishops’ Conference,
Report on the Transmission of the Faith
within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference, 31 March 2026, in the
Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[55] Austrian Bishops’ Conference,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Bishops’ Conference,
31 March 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[56] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), par.
4.
[57] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), par.
139.
[58] 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops,
Synthesis
Report of the First Session (28 October 2023), par. 17 a). Cf. Leo XIV,
Address to Participants in the Conference “Artificial Intelligence and Care of
Our Common Home” (5 December 2025): L’Osservatore Romano, 5 December
2025, 2.
[59] Leo XIV,
Message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications
(24 January 2026): L’Osservatore Romano, 24 January 2026, 2.
[60] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), par.
132.
[61] Belgian Bishops’ Conference,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Bishops’ Conference, 3
April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[62] Episcopal Conference of Chile,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference,
11 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[63] For details on the research, see
https://eglise.catholique.fr/approfondir-sa-foi/la-celebration-de-la-foi/les-sacrements/le-bapteme/baptemes-adultes/.
[64] Cf. Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Patriarchate, 1 April
2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[65] Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria,
Report on the Transmission of
the Faith within the Territory of the Bishops’ Conference, 6 May 2026, in
the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[66] Tanzania Episcopal Conference,
Report on the Transmission of the Faith
within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference, 26 March 2026, in the
Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[67] Cf. Episcopal Conference of Côte d’Ivoire,
Report on the Transmission
of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference, 15 April
2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[68] Cf. National Episcopal Conference of the Congo,
Report on the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference,
30 March 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[69] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), par.
223.
[70] Leo XIV,
Letter to the Cardinals (14 April 2026): L’Osservatore
Romano, 14 April 2026, 7. Cf. Id.,
Address on the occasion of the Jubilee
of Digital Missionaries and Influencers (29 July 2025): L’Osservatore
Romano, 29 July 2025, 2.
[71] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution
Dei Verbum (18 November 1965), par. 2, AAS 58 (1966), 818.8 (1966), 819.
[73] Cf. International Theological Commission,
The Interpretation of Dogma
(1990), B.I.1. [74] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium
(24 November
2013), par. 164: AAS 105 (2013), 1088–1089.
[75] Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization,
Directory for
Catechesis (2020), par. 57.
[76] Cf. Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization,
Directory
for Catechesis (2020), pars. 56–57.
[77] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas
(15 May 2026), par.
22.
[78] Cf. https://www.evangelizatio.va/content/pcpne/en/attivita/catechesi.html.
[79] Francis, Encyclical Letter
Dilexit Nos
(24 October 2024), par. 26:
AAS 116 (2024), 1377.
[80] Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter
Deus Caritas Est
(25 December
2005), par. 31: AAS 98 (2006), 245.
[81] Augustine,
Confessions XII, 16, 23: PL 32, 834.
[82] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Christus Vivit
(25 March 2019), par.
211: AAS 111 (2019), 450.
[83] A. Hurtado, “Ustedes son la luz del mundo,” address in Cerro San
Cristóbal, Chile (1940), as cited in Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Christus Vivit, par. 175:
AAS 111 (2019), 440.
[84] Cf.
Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium
(24 November
2013), par. 70: AAS 105 (2013), 1050.
[85] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium
(24 November
2013), par. 165: AAS 105 (2013), 1089.
[86] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree
Unitatis Redintegratio
(21 November 1964), par. 11:
AAS 57 (1965), 99.
[87] Cf. Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium
(24 November
2013), pars. 36–37: AAS 105 (2013), 1035.
[88] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium
(24 November
2013), par. 165: AAS 105 (2013), 1089.
[89] Cf. Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium
(24 November
2013), pars. 127-129: AAS 105 (2013), 1073.
[90] Francis, Apostolic Letter
Aperuit Illis
(30 September 2019), par.
8: AAS 111 (2019), 1500.
[91] Cf. Aelred of Rievaulx,
De spiritali amicitia: CCCM, 1,
279–350.
[92] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Christus Vivit
(25 March 2019), par.
151: AAS 111 (2019), 432.
[93] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution
Gaudium et
Spes (7 December 1965), par. 52: AAS 58 (1966), 1073.
[94] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium
(24 November
2013), par. 24: AAS 105 (2013), 1030.
[95] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium
(24 November
2013), par. 45: AAS 105 (2013), 1039.
[96] Cf. Prosper of Aquitaine,
Indiculus, ch. 8: PL 51, 209.
[97] Augustine,
Confessions IX, 6, 14: PL 32, 769–770.
[98] R. Guardini,
Spiegel und Gleichnis. Bilder und Gedanken,
Mainz-Paderborn 1990, 158–161.
[99] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Gaudete et Exsultate
(19 March
2018), par. 9: AAS 110 (2018), 1113.
[100] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution
Lumen
Gentium (21 November 1964), par. 11: AAS 57 (1965), 15–16.
[101] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Gaudete et Exsultate
(19 March
2018), par. 14: AAS 110 (2018), 1115.
[102] Terence, Heauton Timorumenos, I, 1, 25.
[103] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), par.
122. [104] Leo XIV, Apostolic Exhortation
Dilexi Te (4 October 2025), par. 3:
AAS 117 (2025), 1240.
[105] Leo XIV, Apostolic Exhortation
Dilexi Te (4 October 2025), par.
104: AAS 117 (2025), 1280–1281.
[106] H.U. von Balthasar,
The Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics I:
Seeing the Form, tr. E. Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco 2009,
148. To this one might add: “If the verum lacks that splendor
which for Thomas is the distinctive mark of the beautiful, then the knowledge of
truth remains both pragmatic and formalistic. […] But if the bonum lacks
that voluptas which for Augustine is the mark of its beauty, then the
relationship to the good remains both utilitarian and hedonistic” (ibid.,
147).
[107] Cf. Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 167: AAS 105 (2013), 1090.
[108] Leo XIV,
Greeting to the Participants in the “Concert with the Poor”
(6 December 2025): L’Osservatore Romano, 9 December 2025, 4.
[109] John Paul II,
Address to the Participants in the National Congress of
the Ecclesial Movement for Cultural Engagement (16 January 1982), par. 2: Insegnamenti
V, 1 (1982), 131, which cites Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Nuntiandi (8 December 1975), par. 20: AAS 68 (1976), 18.
Cf. Pontifical Council for Culture,
Toward a Pastoral Approach to Culture
(23 May 1999).
[110] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter
Slavorum Apostoli (2 June 1985),
par. 21: AAS 77 (1985), 802.
[111] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter
Redemptoris Missio (7 December
1990), par. 52: AAS 83 (1991), 300.
[112] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 122: AAS 105 (2013), 1071.
[113] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 127: AAS 105 (2013), 1073.
[114] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 132: AAS 105 (2013), 1075.
[115] Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution
Gaudium et
Spes (7 December 1965), Chapter I: AAS 58 (1966), 1034–1044.
[116] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), par.
3.
[117] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 123: AAS 105 (2013), 1071.
[118] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 126: AAS 105 (2013), 1073.
[119] This is a phenomenon that, for several years now, has seen an
ever-increasing involvement of young people in religious confraternities or in
youth groups linked to the Catholic world. In addition to participation in the
life of the confraternities themselves, which culminates in the traditional
processions held on major feast days in the public sphere, there are also
national gatherings that are attracting an ever-increasing number of
participants, as noted as early as 2016 by the digital magazine of the
Archdiocese of Madrid: cf. https://alfayomega.es/las-cofradias-se-han-convertido-en-puerta-de-entrada-a-la-iglesia-para-muchos-jovenes/.
[120] Cf. Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), pars. 135–144: AAS 105 (2013), 1076–1080.
[121] Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference,
Report on the Transmission of the
Faith within the Territory of the Bishops’ Conference, 27 April 2026, in the
Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[122] Cf. Venezuelan Episcopal Conference,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Episcopal Conference,
2 April 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[123] French Bishops’ Conference,
Report and Testimonies about the
Transmission of the Faith within the Territory of the Bishops’ Conference, 5
June 2026, in the Archives of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[124] Leo XIV, Encyclical Letter
Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026), par.
143.
[125] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree
Unitatis Redintegratio (21 November 1964), par. 1: AAS 57 (1965), 90. Cf. Id., Decree
Ad
Gentes (7 December 1965), par. 6: AAS 58 (1966), 954–955.
[126] John Paul II, Encyclical Letter
Redemptoris Missio (7 December
1990), par. 50: AAS 83 (1991), 297.
[127] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November
2013), par. 246: AAS 105 (2013), 1119.
[128]
Ibid.
[129] The following accounts are summaries compiled from excerpts taken from the
original texts of the testimonies. For ease of reading, omissions are not
indicated. Any additions made for the sake of summarization are shown in square
brackets.
[130] Francis, Apostolic Letter issued “Motu proprio”
Fidem Servare (11
February 2022), par. 2: AAS 114 (2022), 288.
[131] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree
Unitatis Redintegratio (21 November 1964), par. 11:
AAS 57 (1965), 99.
[132] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), par. 285:
AAS 105 (2013), 1135. Cf. Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith,
Doctrinal Note Mater Populi Fidelis (4 November 2025), par. 77.
|
