Addressing priests in Naples, Pope emphasizes prayer, fraternity

May 08, 2026

Pope Leo XIV visited Naples Cathedral this afternoon and encouraged priests to care for their spiritual life and be brothers to one another (video).

In his address to clergy and religious, Pope Leo said that priests can be tempted to discouragement, as the disciples were on the road to Emmaus.

The Pope acknowledged that the burden on priests “is great. I think of the effort of listening to the stories that are handed down to you ... of persevering in the commitment to a Gospel proclamation that can offer horizons of hope and encourage the choice of goodness; I am thinking of the tired families and often disoriented young people whom you propose to accompany, and of all the human, material and spiritual needs that the poor entrust to you by knocking on the doors of your parishes and associations.”

“This is why we need care,” Pope Leo said. First of all, care for the interior and spiritual life, constantly nourishing our personal relationship with the Lord in prayer and cultivating the ability to listen to what is stirring within us, to discern and allow ourselves to be enlightened by the Spirit. This also requires the courage to know how to stop, not to be afraid to question the Gospel about the personal and pastoral situations we live, so as not to reduce the ministry to a function to be carried out.”

“The care of our ministry, however, also passes through fraternity and communion,” the Pope continued. “A fraternity rooted in God, which is expressed in friendship and mutual accompaniment, as well as in the sharing of pastoral projects and initiatives.”

Pope Leo also encouraged priests to “create a symphony of charisms and ministries, and thus find ways to move from a pastoral care of conservation to a missionary pastoral care, capable of intercepting the concrete life of people.”

“It is a mission that requires everyone’s contribution,” the Pope added. In a city marked by inequality, youth unemployment, school dropouts and family fragility, the proclamation of the Gospel cannot be separated from a concrete and supportive presence, which involves each and every one, priests, religious and lay people. All are active subjects of the pastoral care and life of the Church and not only collaborators, so that the commitment and witness of each one can generate a present and attentive community, capable of being leaven in the dough.”

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Coverage of Pope Leo’s pastoral visit to Pompeii and Naples:

• Pope Leo: The Rosary is the ‘hidden engine that makes everything else possible’ in Pompeii
• Pope, in homily at Pompeii, lauds the Hail Mary and the Rosary
• Addressing priests in Naples, Pope emphasizes prayer, fraternity
• Pope challenges citizens of Naples to build an alternative culture to violence

 

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Further information:

• Pastoral Visit to Naples: Meeting with the Clergy and Consecrated Persons in Naples Cathedral (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media)