Mission is the Church’s ‘very reason for existing,’ Pope tells world’s cardinals

June 26, 2026

Addressing the opening session of the two-day extraordinary consistory of the College of Cardinals (program), Pope Leo said today that “mission is not merely one of the Church’s many tasks,” but “her very reason for existing and thus, it also becomes the criterion that guides our discernment.”

“We are not here, first and foremost, to reflect on the internal life of the Church,” Pope Leo said during his address (video), delivered in Paul VI Audience Hall. “All the themes we will address—our view of the world, peace, the common good, and synodality—converge on a single question: how can we help our Churches today to proclaim the Gospel with greater fidelity, freedom, and credibility?”

“When we learn to listen to one another, to share responsibilities, and to recognize the action of the Spirit in the various Churches, we are not merely improving the way we work: we are becoming a Church that is better able to engage with the men and women of our time and to bear witness to them of the joy of the Gospel,” the Pope continued.

The Pontiff then issued a strong call for unity and frankness:

For this reason, I wish to ask you for your help. The ministry which the Lord has entrusted to me cannot be carried out alone. It requires your experience, your pastoral wisdom, and your knowledge of the Churches and of the peoples entrusted to you. I am counting on you to help me discern what the Spirit is saying to the Church today. I need your support: strong, explicit, and public. I need to feel sustained by you, as by brothers.

I therefore ask you to accompany me not only during these days of work, but also in the daily service to the communion of the universal Church. Help me to listen to what is emerging in the Churches, to recognize the signs of hope that often grow in silence, but also to not ignore the struggles, misunderstandings, and resistance that can slow down our journey. I need your freedom, your frankness, and your loyalty. Sincere advice is always an act of communion.

“We too learn synodality by practicing it; we learn together to grow in communion,” he concluded. “I thank you in advance for your willingness, for your interior freedom, and for your love for the Church. Let us entrust these days to the Holy Spirit, that he may make us docile to his voice and grant us the grace to seek together what best serves the Gospel and the good of the People of God.”

 

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Further information:

• Extraordinary Consistory: Opening Session (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 6/26/26)
• Address of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on the Occasion of the Opening of the Extraordinary Consistory (26–27 June 2026) (Holy See Press Office, 6/26/26)