Pope Leo: Sense of Belonging More Important Than Church Attendance Numbers

Vatican, Jan 14, 2025: In the January edition of Piazza San Pietro, Pope Leo offers encouragement to a Swiss catechist struggling to involve families in parish life, reminding her that “hours dedicated to catechesis are never wasted.”

The magazine’s January issue, focused on the theme of peace, features Pope Leo responding to Nunzia, a 50-year-old catechist from Laufenburg, a small Swiss municipality with 620 residents, who wrote to him about the challenges she faces in engaging families.

Challenges in Reaching Families and Children

In her letter, Nunzia explains that it is increasingly difficult to get parents involved and, at times, even to nurture the faith of children and young people. “I sow seeds, but the seedlings struggle to grow. Children and families prefer sports and parties,” she writes, noting that families are often indifferent to religious practice and that churches are increasingly empty or attended mostly by the elderly.

She concludes her letter by requesting prayers from Pope Leo for both the young people she works with and for her own perseverance, so that she does not become discouraged.

Pope Leo’s Response

In his reply, the Pope acknowledges Nunzia’s struggles and situates them in a broader context: “The situation in which you live is no different from that of other countries with ancient Christian traditions.”

He urges her to focus beyond attendance figures: “The hours dedicated to catechesis are never wasted, even if there are very few participants.”

Pope Leo also emphasises that the core issue is not numbers, but the deeper need for a sense of belonging within the Church: “The problem is not the numbers — which, of course, make one reflect — but the increasingly evident lack of awareness in feeling part of the Church, that is, of being living members of the Body of Christ, all with unique gifts and roles, and not merely users of the sacred, of the sacraments, perhaps out of mere habit.”

He offers encouragement to Nunzia and others in similar situations, writing, “As Christians, we always need conversion. And we must seek it together,” and reminds them that the true door of faith “is the Heart of Christ, always wide open.”

Concluding his message, Pope Leo echoes the legacy of Paul VI, urging all to witness “the joy of Christ's Gospel, the joy of rebirth and resurrection.”

Courtesy: Vatican News