Vatican City – “The Heart of Christ, pierced out of love, is the living and life-giving flesh that welcomes each of us, transforming us into the image of the Good Shepherd.”
With these words begins the message that Pope Leo XIV addressed today to all priests around the world, on the occasion of the Day of Priestly Sanctification, celebrated on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
This is a text that calls each presbyter back to the source of his ministry: the Heart of Christ, from which the priestly identity springs and in which the meaning of being “joyful witnesses” of the love that “heals, accompanies and redeems” is understood. There is no idealisation: the Pope speaks to priests for what they are, called to be shaped by grace, not to display an appearance of perfection.
The Memory of Vocation
“To remember this grace,” writes the Pope, “is to enter a vast, bottomless sanctuary.” Citing the Confessions of St Augustine, Leo XIV invites us to rediscover memory not as a mere recollection of the past, but as a theological place in which God’s work becomes present. Only in this way, he stresses, “we live and bring to life what the Lord has entrusted to us.”
It is a call not to be overwhelmed by habit or fatigue. Because – says the Pope – only in living memory can the priest truly bring “the Word and Sacraments of salvation” to a world longing for reconciliation and meaning.
An Urgent Call
At the heart of the message is a clear exhortation: “Be builders of unity and peace!” This is not a matter of good will or diplomacy alone, but a description of the stance of the priest in a world and a Church torn by tensions. Leo XIV strongly affirms that “the priest is called to promote reconciliation and generate communion”, especially within communities and families where wounds run deepest.
The priest is portrayed as “skilled in the art of gathering life’s fragments,” capable of offering pastoral proposals that give birth and rebirth to faith, building strong relationships, fraternity, and community. “To be builders of unity and peace,” adds the Pontiff, “means not to dominate, but to serve.”
Priestly Fraternity and Concrete Life
The Pope does not address isolated individuals, but the presbyterate as a whole. When he affirms that “priestly fraternity becomes a credible sign of the Risen Lord’s presence,” he highlights that communion among priests is not optional or spiritualistic, but an integral part of their mission.
In a direct tone, Leo XIV calls priests to renew their ‘yes’ before the Heart of Christ, affirming that “the Lord does not seek perfect priests, but humble hearts,” ready for conversion.
Union with the Heart of Christ
The text also recalls a passage from Pope Francis’ latest encyclical Dilexit nos, reminding us that the Sacred Heart is the place where we are to bring our inner conflicts and the world’s wounds, so that they may undergo reconciliation and healing. “Our heart, united to that of Christ, is capable of this social miracle,” writes Leo XIV, quoting paragraph twenty-eight of the encyclical.
The Holy Year as an Opportunity
The Pope places his message within the jubilee journey, reminding us that “our ministry will be all the more fruitful the more it is rooted in prayer, forgiveness, and closeness to the poor, to families, and to young people in search of truth.”
He concludes: “A holy priest causes holiness to blossom around him.” Leo XIV offers no blueprints or lists of initiatives, but firmly calls back to the essentials: the living memory of received grace, deep union with the Heart of Christ, fidelity to God’s people, real fraternity among priests, and a sincere readiness to serve.
In a time marked by confusion and division, when – as Silere non possum reminded today – words can become instruments of death, even among confrères, the Pope calls priests to be credible signs of peace, not through declarations, but through the concrete witness of life.
The message is clear and demanding: priests are called to build communion, to be men of listening, understanding, and mercy, far from gossip and from any form of judgement that destroys.
Rather than fuelling suspicion and exclusion, Leo XIV calls for compassion and welcome, even towards those considered “different.” For only in this way can the presbyter be the image of the Good Shepherd, who does not divide but unites, does not condemn but saves.
f.R.P.
Silere non possum