Pope Calls for Mission Focus Within Roman Curia
During the traditional exchange of Christmas greetings with the Roman Curia, Pope Leo XIV urged his closest collaborators to embrace a more outward facing and missionary identity, rooted in communion and service. Speaking in the Hall of Benedictions, the Pope framed the Curia’s role not as an administrative center but as an instrument placed at the service of the particular Churches and the wider world. He recalled the witness of his beloved predecessor Pope Francis, highlighting his insistence on mercy, evangelization, and a Church welcoming to all, especially the poor. Drawing inspiration from Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Leo stressed that mission must guide structures, offices, and daily work, ensuring they respond to contemporary ecclesial, pastoral, and social challenges. Institutions, he said, should support the dynamism of the Gospel rather than slow it, allowing the Curia to function as a bridge between the Apostolic See and local Churches.
The Pope described the missionary nature of the Church as flowing directly from God’s own initiative in reaching humanity through Christ. This outward movement, he explained, must become a criterion of discernment for all ecclesial service, including that of the Roman Curia. Mission, however, cannot be separated from communion, which Pope Leo described as an urgent task both within the Church and in its witness to the world. He warned against the hidden forces of division that can arise beneath apparent calm, whether through rigid uniformity that suppresses difference or through the exacerbation of conflicting viewpoints. In addressing questions of faith, liturgy, and morality, he cautioned against ideological postures that fracture relationships. Instead, he called for a synodal mindset in which diverse charisms cooperate in a shared mission, reminding his listeners that unity is built through daily gestures, attitudes, and relationships rather than through documents alone.
Reflecting on the wider global context, Pope Leo XIV asked members of the Curia to become a prophetic sign of peace in a world marked by division, violence, and rising aggression often amplified by digital culture and politics. He acknowledged the frustrations that can emerge after years of service, particularly when power dynamics or personal interests resist change, but challenged his collaborators to pursue personal conversion as the foundation of institutional renewal. The Pope emphasized that authentic fraternity within the Curia strengthens its external witness, enabling it to serve as leaven for universal fraternity among peoples, religions, and cultures. Recalling milestones such as the Second Vatican Council and the Council of Nicaea, he situated curial service within the broader horizon of hope, evangelization, and shared faith. The credibility of this service, he concluded, depends above all on lived communion expressed through consistent Christian witness.
