Pontiff receives 8 new ambassadors, exhorts them to seek the common good

May 21, 2026

Pope Leo XIV today received new ambassadors to the Holy See from eight nations and encouraged them to seek the common good.

“I am particularly pleased to receive you as the Church approaches the Solemnity of Pentecost, recalling how the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, transforming fear into courage and division into unity by enabling them to speak in the languages of all peoples,” Pope Leo said during this morning’s audience, which took place in Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. “It is my hope that a similar vision of unity may inspire the world of diplomacy, where constructive relations among nations flourish through genuine openness, the fostering of mutual respect and a shared sense of responsibility.”

The Pontiff then called for a dialogue in which “words once again express clear realities without distortion or hostility. Only then can misunderstandings be overcome and trust be rebuilt in the context of international relations.”

“Yet courteous and clear dialogue, essential though it is, must be accompanied by a deeper conversion of heart: the willingness to set aside particular interests for the sake of the common good,” he cautioned. “No nation, no society and no international order can call itself just and humane if it measures its success solely by power or prosperity while neglecting those who live at the margins.”

The new ambassadors to whom Pope Leo addressed his remarks hail from Bangladesh, Chad, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and Yemen.

 

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Further information:

• Presentation of Credential Letters by the Ambassadors of: Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, Yemen, Rwanda, Namibia, Mauritius, Chad, Sri Lanka (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 5/21/26)
• Audience with the Ambassadors of Bangladesh, Chad, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Yemen to the Holy See, on the occasion of the presentation of their Credential Letters (Holy See Press Office, 5/21/26)