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Pope Leo outlines his vision for John Paul II Institute
October 28, 2025
In a lengthy address that the Vatican has not yet published in English, Pope Leo XIV outlined his vision for the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, founded by St. John Paul in 1981 and refounded by Pope Francis in 2017.
Speaking to professors and students in Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo said on October 24 that the institute’s vocation is “to constitute a single academic body distributed over the different continents, in order to respond to the needs of formation while being as close as possible to spouses and families. In this way, pastoral dynamics can be better developed that are suited to local realities and inspired by the living tradition of the Church and her social doctrine.”
“Your Institute contributes to the understanding of the papal magisterium and to the constant updating of the dialogue between family life, the world of work and social justice, addressing issues of great relevance such as peace, care for life and health, integral human development, youth employment, economic sustainability, equal opportunities between men and women, all factors that influence the choice to marry and have children,” the Pope continued. “In this sense, your specific mission concerns the search for and common witness to the truth: in carrying out this task, theology is called to confront the various disciplines that study marriage and the family, not being content to speak the truth about them, but living it in the grace of the Holy Spirit and after the example of Christ.”
The Pontiff called for “organic and concerted actions in support of the family,” and in particular of motherhood. “The quality of a country’s social and political life, in fact, is measured in a particular way by how it allows families to live well, to have time for themselves, cultivating the bonds that keep them together,” the Pope said, adding:
I feel the duty to recall that the civil community and the ecclesial community must commit themselves constantly to restoring motherhood to its full dignity. To this end, concrete initiatives are needed: policies that guarantee adequate living and working conditions; educational and cultural initiatives that recognize the beauty of generating together; a pastoral care that accompanies women and men with closeness and listening. Motherhood and fatherhood, thus preserved, are by no means burdens that weigh on society, but rather a hope that strengthens and renews it.
Pope Leo suggested that the Institute’s refounding represented an intellectual enrichment.
“You seek to exercise an inter—and trans-disciplinary method in the light of Revelation,” he said. “In this perspective, the consolidated base of philosophical and theological studies has been enriched in the interaction with other disciplines, allowing the exploration of important areas of research.”
The Pope called on the Institute to “deepen the link between the family and the social doctrine of the Church. The path could take place in two complementary directions: that of inserting the study of the family as an essential chapter of the patrimony of wisdom that the Church proposes on social life and, reciprocally, that of enriching this patrimony with family experiences and dynamics, in order to better understand the very principles of the Church’s social teaching.”
Turning to the “pastoral sphere,” Pope Leo noted that
we cannot ignore the tendencies, in many regions of the world, not to appreciate, or even to refuse marriage. I would like to invite you to be attentive, in your reflection on preparation for the sacrament of Matrimony, to the action of God’s grace in the heart of every man and woman. Even when young people make choices that do not correspond to the ways proposed by the Church according to the teaching of Jesus, the Lord continues to knock at the door of their hearts, preparing them to receive a new interior call. If your theological and pastoral research is rooted in prayerful dialogue with the Lord, you will find the courage to invent new words that can deeply touch the consciences of young people.
In fact, our time is marked not only by tensions and ideologies that confuse hearts, but also by a growing search for spirituality, truth and justice, especially among young people. Welcoming and caring for this desire is one of the most beautiful and urgent tasks for all of us.
Finally, the Pope asked the Institute “to continue the synodal journey as an integral part of formation.”
“Especially in an international university, it is necessary to exercise mutual listening in order to better discern how to grow together in the service of marriage and the family,” he explained. “There is really much to learn regarding the transmission of the faith, the daily practice of listening and prayer, education in love and peace, fraternity with migrants and strangers, care for the planet. In all these dimensions, family life precedes our study and instructs it, especially through testimonies of dedication and holiness.”
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