Pope emphasizes centrality of evangelization, warns against watering down the faith

May 29, 2026

Pope Leo XIV said that evangelization “must remain the fundamental motivation behind every action of the universal Church and of local communities” and warned against “watering down the content” of the faith “or softening the demands.”

Pope Leo made remarks during an audience with the members of the Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World, one of the two sections of the Dicastery for Evangelization. Praedicate Evangelium, the 2022 apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, outlined the responsibilities of the section, which include catechesis, international shrines, and Missionaries of Mercy (Art. 55-60). The Pope himself presides over the dicastery, with Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the pro-prefect, leading the section in his name.

After thanking the section for its work during the 2025 jubilee year, Pope Leo said that “evangelization must remain the fundamental motivation behind every action of the universal Church and of local communities; only in this way is the faith itself continually rediscovered in all its beauty and able to express its credibility to the full.”

“The proclamation of the Gospel, which instils hope, is not a utopian proposal: it is a witness that draws people in because it reveals the call to love and truth,” the Pope continued. Even in a secularized Western context, “the encounter with Christ is able to restore full meaning and value to people’s lives, and the Church rediscovers the enduring relevance of the mandate she has received from the risen Lord.”

The Pope spoke about the centrality of the kerygma, the “strong demand” of young Catholics for spirituality, and the transmission of the faith in “media-saturated and consumerist societies.”

“The transmission of faith, in this context, necessarily involves encountering people and communities who express the joy of the Christian faith and the coherence of a Gospel-inspired way of life,” Pope Leo said. “It is certainly not by watering down the content or softening the demands that Christianity can be made attractive, but by bearing witness with humility and courage to ‘the way, the truth and the life’ that has converted and sanctified so many people.”

Reflecting on catechesis, the Pope also spoke about the importance of pastoral care for the rising numbers of catechumens after their entry into the Church, as well as for young people after their reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation.

The Pontiff made his remarks on May 28, in Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace, at the conclusion of the section’s plenary session. Praecdicate Evangelium provides that all of a dicastery’s members gather in plenary session regularly—typically every two years—to discuss “matters and questions of greater importance” (Art. 26).

 

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Further information:

• To Participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for Fundamental Questions Regarding Evangelization in the World (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 5/28/26)
• Audience with participants in the Plenary Session of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World (Holy See Press Office, 5/28/26)