In a warm and pointed address at the Vatican this morning, Pope Leo XIV received representatives of several female religious institutes, including those attending General Chapters and others on Jubilee pilgrimage. The meeting, held in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, celebrated both the historic legacy and ongoing vitality of religious life among women.
The Holy Father acknowledged the diverse origins of the gathered communities — Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great, Daughters of Divine Charity, Augustinian Sisters of Amparo, and Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts — emphasizing their shared commitment to caring for society’s most vulnerable.
“You have come to the tomb of Peter to renew your love for the Lord and your fidelity to the Church,” he said, affirming their spiritual foundations rooted in the traditions of Saints Augustine, Basil, and Francis. These founders, he noted, inspired generations of women to serve with “asceticism, courage and holiness.”
Pope Leo praised the sisters’ ministries, which continue to include work with orphans, migrants, the elderly, and the sick, as evidence that fidelity to the Gospel remains relevant and transformative. Quoting Gaudium et Spes, he pointed to the importance of reading “the signs of the times” and encouraged them to stay grounded in their charisms while responding creatively to contemporary needs.
Citing the Second Vatican Council’s Perfectae Caritatis, the Pope underscored the balance needed in religious life: “The entire religious life of the members should be imbued with an apostolic spirit, and all their apostolic activity with a religious spirit.” This, he insisted, ensures that religious sisters “may first answer their call to follow Christ and to serve Christ himself in his members.”
A message for us all
The heart of the Pope’s message came in the form of a meditation from St. Augustine, whose words he held up as both challenge and consolation:
“God is your everything. If you are hungry, he is your bread; if you are thirsty, he is your water; if you are in darkness, he is your light that never fades; if you are naked, he is your everlasting garment.”
Pope Leo urged the sisters to ask themselves whether Christ truly satisfies their thirst for life, love, and meaning — and to return often to this source.
As the gathered religious discern future directions for their communities, Pope Leo concluded with a blessing and the prayer of Saint Paul: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith … and that you may know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.”
