Pope Leo XIV Reveals "the key to every school of evangelization: bearing witness to...the encounter we have had with the God of life."

On the feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, Pope Leo XIV met with members of the St. Andrew School of Evangelization, a Catholic ministry of lay people and clergy to proclaim the Gospel.
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE "SANT'ANDREA" SCHOOLS OF EVANGELIZATION
(ESCUELAS DE EVANGELIZACIÓN “SAN ANDRÉS”)

Clementine Hall
Friday, August 29, 2025
____________________________________
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.
Dear brothers and sisters,
good morning and welcome!

You have come to Rome in this Jubilee Year from various countries, as pilgrims of hope. I welcome you. I greet His Eminence Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec, Mr. José Prado Flores, and his family, and all of you, members of the "Saint Andrew" Schools of Evangelization who are present here.

As you know, today the universal Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist. His figure can greatly help us reflect on the mission of evangelizers in the Church and in the world today. The prologue to the Gospel of Saint John states that "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" ( Jn 1:14), and then indicates that John the Baptist bears witness to him (cf. 1:15). If we carefully reread the first chapters of the fourth Gospel, we can discover the key to every school of evangelization: bearing witness to what we have contemplated, to the encounter we have had with the God of life. The evangelist also tells us this in his first letter: "That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 Jn 1:3). This is the mission of the Church, this is the mission of every Christian.

Dear brothers and sisters, this is our vocation as baptized Christians, and therefore we must pass on what we ourselves have received, so that we may all become one in Christ. In these days of pilgrimage, I invite you especially to contemplate the lives of the saints who, like St. John the Baptist, were faithful followers of Jesus Christ, manifesting him in good words and deeds.

I thank you for the fruitful work you carry out in evangelization through various means, and I encourage you to continue walking with renewed hope. May God bless you, and may Our Lady of Guadalupe always protect you in your mission. Good luck!

______________________________________________________

L'Osservatore Romano , Daily Edition, Year CLXV n. 198, Friday, August 29, 2025, p. 2.