Rigidity is enemy of missionary work, Pope tells Little Missionary Sisters of Charity

May 26, 2017

Pope Francis encouraged the Little Missionary Sisters of Charity to be “missionaries without borders,” as he spoke on May 26 to leaders of the religious order who were gathered in Rome for their general chapter.

The Pope remarked that the order, founded by Don Orione, is “called upon to exercise charity toward your neighbor, especially toward the poorest, the abandoned and the excluded.” At the same time the order is called to missionary service, he added.

Reflecting on the work of missionaries, Pope Francis said that they must be bold. “The convenient criterion of ‘it has always been the case’ is not valid,” he said. He repeated: “It is not valid.” He exhorted his audience to fight against “comfort, lethargy, and wordliness,” which are enemies of missionary work. Particularly in their service to the poor, he said, the Little Missionary Sisters of Charity should be “outbound” rather than “limiting yourselves to survival and self-defensive rigidity.”

 

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Further information:

• of the Little Missionary Sisters of Charity (Vatican press office)