Pope urges Church to move to a bold mission centered on the Gospel

In a letter addressed to the College of Cardinals on the occasion of Easter, Pope Leo XIV outlined a road map for the future of the Church, calling for a profound transformation that prioritizes evangelization over institutional bureaucracy.

The Pontiff takes up the conclusions of the January Consistory to deepen the validity of “Evangelii Gaudium”, describing it as a «breath of fresh air» that must go from being a read document to a practiced reality.

Levels of missionary conversion

The Pope stresses that Christian identity must be renewed in three critical dimensions to avoid stagnation:

• Personal level: To move from a «received faith» by tradition to a “lived and experienced faith”, where the encounter with Christ transforms daily life and personal coherence is the main witness.
• Community level: It is necessary to put an end to the «pastoral of maintenance». Parishes must cease to be administrative centers and become “living agents of proclamation”, welcoming and healing.
• Diocesan level: Pastors should avoid their work being «weighed down by organizational excesses». The structure should serve the mission, not suffocate it.

A mission by «attraction», not by conquest

Leo XIV redefines the concept of integral mission, distancing it from any attempt at proselytism or institutional expansion. According to the Pontiff, the Church must:

1. Focus on the “Kerygma” (the proclamation of God's love).
2. Understand that the goal is not the survival of the Church, but the communication of divine love to the world.

Reforms and next steps

The letter does not limit itself to theological concepts, but proposes concrete lines of action to be analyzed by the cardinals:

1. Evaluate “Evangelii Gaudium” to check “what has really been assimilated over the years” alongside what “remains unknown or has not been put into practice”.”
2. “To value apostolic and pastoral visitations as authentic opportunities for the proclamation” of the kerygma and for strengthening relationships
3. “Re-evaluating the effectiveness of ecclesial communication” from a mission perspective.

Finally, the Pontiff summons the cardinals for the next Consistory, The meeting will be held on June 26 and 27, where it is hoped that these reflections will mature into concrete ecclesial decisions.