Rekindle the fire within you, Pope tells Rome’s priests
February 20, 2026
Pope Leo XIV met with priests of the Diocese of Rome on February 19 and encouraged them to rekindle the fire of the Spirit within them.
Reflecting on 2 Timothy 1:6—in which St. Paul exhorted St. Timothy to “rekindle the gift of God that is within you”—Pope Leo said in his Italian-language address that “these words are addressed not only to the individual, but also to the community, and today we can hear them addressed to us: Church of Rome, remember to rekindle God’s gift!”
“Paul addresses this exhortation to a community that in some way has lost the freshness of its origins and pastoral impetus,” the Pope said during the meeting, which took place in Paul VI Audience Hall. “With the context changing and time passing, there is a certain weariness, some disappointment or frustration, a certain spiritual and moral decay.”
The Pontiff highlighted three areas of Roman diocesan life in which the flame should be rekindled:
- the ordinary pastoral care of parishes, in which it is “urgent to return to proclaiming the Gospel: this is the priority,” “to put proclamation back at the center,” rather than assuming that the faith is being transmitted at home
- learning to work together, in communion
- closeness to young people
After Pope Leo offered encouragement to younger priests—“I urge you to daily fidelity in your relationship with the Lord and to work with enthusiasm, even if you do not see the fruits of the apostolate now”—he concluded:
Dear friends, I am happy to have experienced this moment of sharing with you. As I recently recalled, our first commitment is to “safeguard and make our vocation grow in a constant journey of conversion and renewed fidelity, which is never merely an individual journey but commits us to taking care of one another” (Apostolic Letter A fidelity that generates the future, 13). In this way, we will be pastors after God’s own heart and will be able to serve our diocese of Rome in the best possible way. Thank you!
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