Pope Leo XIV has called for a renewed focus on family life as the cornerstone of the Church’s mission, in a message addressed to participants of a Vatican seminar on June 2–3, titled “Evangelizing with the Families of Today and Tomorrow.”
Organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the seminar follows closely on the heels of the Jubilee Year events for families, children, grandparents, and the elderly.
In his address, the Pope emphasized that Christian families are not merely recipients of pastoral care — they are frontline agents of evangelization.
“The Church’s maternal concern,” he wrote, “is for Christian families throughout the world as living members of the Mystical Body of Christ,” who are entrusted with passing on the faith, especially to the next generation.
Longing for community
The message is both pastoral and prophetic. Aware of the pressures facing families — secular ideologies, social isolation, and the distortions of digital culture — Leo XIV underscored the growing spiritual hunger among young people and the need for community-based responses.
He criticized the “privatization of faith,” warning that it prevents many from encountering the Church as a place of “grace, fraternity, and love.”
Significantly, he extended his appeal to those who feel excluded or uninterested in Church life but “still want to be part of a community.” This includes couples living together outside of marriage, parents overwhelmed by modern challenges, and youth drawn to spiritual authenticity but unsure where to find it.
He urged Church leaders to walk with these families without judgment, saying, “It is not a matter of giving hasty answers to difficult questions, but of drawing close … listening … and understanding.”
In one of the most striking lines, the Pope called on bishops and laity alike to become “fishers of families,” echoing the Gospel’s missionary charge with fresh relevance.
Experience Jesus
Quoting St. Augustine and Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV highlighted the need to move beyond moralism and rediscover the joy of encountering Christ personally.
“How often have we replaced the experience of Jesus with a burdensome religion that seems impossible to live,” he noted.
The Pope’s message carries particular urgency in regions where family structures are rapidly shifting and religious participation is declining. Yet it also points to deep reserves of hope:
“The Gospel of the family also nourishes seeds that are still waiting to grow,” he wrote, urging pastors and lay leaders not to give up on fragile or “wilting” situations.
As the Church looks ahead to forming new generations of faithful, this message underscores a central conviction of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate: that family is not only where faith begins, but where the Church’s future takes root.
His call is clear — meet people where they are, walk with them patiently, and never underestimate the power of love to lead them home.
