Strive for communion as you govern, Pope tells leaders of lay movements

May 21, 2026

Pope Leo XIV today called upon the lay leaders of international associations of the faithful, ecclesial movements, and new communities to work to foster communion as they govern.

The leaders of the lay movements are present in Rome for their annual conference, organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. The theme of this year’s conference is “Serving, Accompanying, Guiding: Foundations and Practices of Government in Associations.”

“The Church was established by Christ as a lasting sign of His universal salvific will and is the place, willed by God, where all people, in every age, may receive the fruits of Redemption and experience the new life that Christ has given us,” Pope Leo said during the audience, which took place this morning in Synod Hall. “In this sense, the nature of the Church is sacramental: it certainly has an external and institutional dimension with its structures and, at the same time, is an effective sign of communion through which we participate in the very life of the Trinity.”

From the premise that governance “must be directed towards the spiritual good of the faithful,” the Pope said that three consequences follow:

• “It must be for the benefit of all (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), that is, to promote the good of the community, of the association, and of the whole Church.”
• “It can never be imposed from above, but must be a gift recognizable within the community and freely accepted; hence the importance of free elections to bring it into effect.”
• “Like every charism, the governance of an association is also subject to the discernment of the Pastors, who monitor the authenticity and orderly use of charisms.”

After calling upon lay movements to look outward, rather than focusing merely on group activities, Pope Leo emphasized the importance of fostering communion.

“Those who govern are required to have a particular sensitivity towards the safeguarding, growth and consolidation of communion,” he explained. “This applies both to life within the association or movement, and to communion with other ecclesial realities and with the Church as a whole.”

The Pope added:

Here I would like to emphasize the importance of this dimension of communion with the Church as a whole. At times we find groups who close themselves up and think that their specific reality is the only one, or that it is the Church, but the Church is all of us, it is much more! And so our movements must truly endeavour to live in communion with the entire Church, at diocesan level.

The bishop is therefore a very important figure of reference, and if a group says, “No, we are not in communion with this bishop, we want another one”, this will not do. We must try to live in communion with all the Church, at diocesan level as well as at universal level.

 

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Further information:

• To Participants in the Meeting with the Moderators of Associations of the Faithful, Ecclesial Movements, and New Communities promoted by the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 5/21/26)
• Audience with participants in the meeting of moderators of Associations of the faithful, Ecclesial Movements and New Communities, promoted by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life (Holy See Press Office, 5/21/26)