Pope Leo XIV Calls Bishops to Witness to Unity in a Fragmented World

Vatican City, September 10, 2026: In a world increasingly marked by polarisation, division and fragmentation, Pope Leo XIV has called on bishops who are friends of the Focolare Movement to become witnesses to unity by returning to the source of Christian communion in the Holy Trinity.

Addressing the Bishops who are Friends of the Focolare Movement in the Clementine Hall on September 9, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the theme of their congress, “giving witness to unity”, describing it as one of the essential elements of the movement founded by Chiara Lubich.

The Pope said the call to witness to unity is even more urgent today, pointing to situations of “prejudice, racism, religious intolerance, even violence” experienced in different countries.

He also drew attention to the effects of individualism in the West, where family, friendship and community networks are increasingly giving way to fragmentation. He noted that freedom is often presented as “absolute autonomy” and said this can create a paradox in which people, despite the emphasis on individual freedom, may feel less free to be their genuine selves because of fear of judgement or of not fitting in.

Unity rooted in the Trinity

Pope Leo XIV connected the human longing for communion with the Christian understanding of God as a communion of persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

He said that through Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, people become children of God and sharers in divine life. From this communion with God, he said, flows communion with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

“This is the Church, a mystery of communion,” the Pope said, describing the Church as “the sign and leaven of unity for our world.”

‘We must become contemplatives’

Addressing the bishops as sharers in the spiritual legacy of Chiara Lubich and ministers of Christ’s Church in a fragmented world, Pope Leo XIV said they are called to witness to the unity of the human family.

“The answer to the sad divisions that plague our world lies not in forming more committees or launching more projects, but in going back to the source of our unity in the Holy Trinity. Indeed, we must become contemplatives!”

The Pope encouraged the bishops to use their time together to live fraternity and strengthen their communion as brothers in the episcopate. He also expressed hope that the spiritual support they have found in the Work of Mary would help them live communion and fraternity in their respective Bishops’ Conferences.

A call to nourish the interior life

Pope Leo XIV placed particular emphasis on the interior life of the bishops, encouraging them to deepen it through sustained prayer before the Lord in the Tabernacle, attentive celebration of the Office and Holy Mass, and frequent contemplation of the indwelling of the Persons of the Trinity.

He said that through this interior renewal, they can become witnesses to one another and to those they serve of “that unity which builds lasting peace.”

Pope Leo XIV entrusted the bishops and the Work of Mary to the intercession of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, and imparted his Apostolic Blessing, asking that it be a pledge of joy and peace in Christ.

Courtesy: Vatican News