Pope Leo says, Friendship with Christ Is Key to Christian Joy

Vatican City, 26 July 2025: Cultivating a close friendship with Christ is vital for happiness among both clergy and laity, Pope Leo XIV reminded seminary formators and Xaverian Missionaries during a meeting in the Vatican on Friday.

Addressing participants from the Course for Seminary Formators at Rome’s Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and members of the Xaverian Missionaries at the conclusion of their General Chapter, the Pope highlighted the unifying mission they share—evangelisation.

“These are certainly two different events,” the Pope acknowledged, “yet a common thread unites them. In different ways, we are all called into the dynamism of mission and to face the challenges of evangelisation.”

Stressing the need for "a solid and integral" formation, Pope Leo said it must go beyond specialised knowledge and transform both humanity and spirituality to reflect the Gospel, encouraging all to have “the same mind as Christ Jesus.”

Recalling a recent gathering hosted by the Dicastery for the Clergy on “Joyful Priests,” the Pope extended the message to all faithful: “To be enthused by the joy of the Gospel is not just for priests, but for everyone... we can speak of happy Christians, happy disciples and happy missionaries.”

Formation, he insisted, must be grounded like a house built on rock—solid enough to withstand life’s human and spiritual storms. He offered three core suggestions for building such a foundation.

First, the Pope urged all to cultivate friendship with Jesus. “We need personally to experience the closeness of the Master,” he said, “to know that we have been seen, loved and chosen by the Lord by pure grace and without merit.”

This personal experience, he said, must radiate in one’s ministry and relationships. “Evangelisation is first and foremost witness—witness of personally encountering Jesus Christ,” he stated, emphasising the need for continual conversion and inner healing.

Second, Pope Leo called for an effective and affective fraternity. He cautioned against individualism and competition, instead promoting healthy, spiritual, and fraternal human relationships.

Finally, he highlighted the importance of sharing the mission with all the baptised. “Priests must not see themselves as lone leaders,” he said, but must recognise and encourage the charisms of lay people, promoting collaborative ministry.

“The preparation of future priests,” he stressed, “must be increasingly rooted in the People of God and supported by all its members: priests, laity, and consecrated persons.”

Concluding, Pope Leo expressed gratitude for the participants’ service in priestly formation and missionary work, urging them to persevere in their journeys and bring hope to wounded lands in need of the Gospel.

Courtesy: Vatican News

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