Community life fosters holiness, Pope tells US male religious superiors

July 22, 2026

Pope Leo XIV encouraged the superiors of men’s religious institutes in the United States to see community life as a “place of sanctification and a source of inspiration, witness and strength in your apostolate.”

“Indeed, it is precisely through sharing everything in common, including material goods, spiritual experiences, apostolic ideals and charitable service that the hidden presence of the risen Lord is made manifest among you,” Pope Leo wrote in a letter to the executive director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM).

The letter, dated July 16 and released today, recalled the seventieth anniversary of the CMSM’s founding. The conference is currently holding its annual assembly at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix; the assembly’s theme is “One in Christ: Communal Life Today.”

 

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Further information:

• Letter from the Holy Father Leo XIV on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Conference of Major Superior s of Men in the United States (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 7/22/26)