Pope Leo XIV says "Despite the fractures and suffering that families experience, they remain places where we learn to exchange the gifts of love, trust, forgiveness..."

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
TO THE TEACHERS AND STUDENTS OF THE
PONTIFICAL JOHN PAUL II THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY SCIENCES
in the Vatican's Clementine Hall
Friday, October 24, 2025
_____________________________
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!

Buongiorno, buenos dias , good morning !

Dear brothers and sisters,

I joyfully welcome you, the international academic community of the John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. I greet the Grand Chancellor, Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, the President, Msgr. Philippe Bordeyne, the Vice-Presidents of the extra-City sections , the professors, the benefactors, all of you, dear students, together with the alumni who have come from various countries for the Jubilee. May you all be welcome!

In diverse social, economic, and cultural contexts, the challenges that confront us are diverse: everywhere and always, however, we are called to support, defend, and promote the family, above all through a lifestyle consistent with the Gospel. Its fragility and its value, considered in the light of faith and sound reason, engage your studies, which you cultivate for the good of engaged couples becoming spouses, spouses becoming parents, and their children, who are for all the promise of a humanity renewed by love. The vocation of your Institute, born from the prophetic vision of Saint John Paul II in the wake of the 1980 Synod on the Family, thus appears even clearer: to establish a single academic body distributed across the different continents, in order to respond to the needs of formation while remaining as close as possible to spouses and families. In this way, pastoral dynamics suited to local realities and inspired by the living tradition of the Church and its social doctrine can better be developed.

By participating in the mission and journey of the entire Church, your Institute contributes to the understanding of the papal magisterium and to the constant updating of the dialogue between family life, the world of work, and social justice. It addresses issues of pressing relevance, such as peace, the care of life and health, integral human development, youth employment, economic sustainability, and equal opportunities for men and women—all factors that influence the choice to marry and have children. In this sense, your specific mission concerns the common search for and witness to the truth. In carrying out this task, theology is called to engage with the various disciplines that study marriage and the family, not content to simply tell the truth about them, but to live it in the grace of the Holy Spirit and following the example of Christ, who revealed the Father to us through his actions and words.

The proclamation of the Gospel, which transforms life and society, commits us to promoting organic and concerted actions in support of the family. The quality of a country's social and political life, in fact, is measured particularly by how it allows families to live well, to have time for themselves, and to cultivate the bonds that hold them together. In a society that often values ​​productivity and speed at the expense of relationships, it is urgent to restore time and space to the love learned in the family, where the first experiences of trust, giving, and forgiveness are intertwined, forming the very fabric of social life.

I recall with emotion the words of my predecessor, Pope Francis , when he tenderly addressed women expecting a child, asking them to cherish the joy of bringing a new life into the world (cf. Amoris Laetitia , 171). His words contain a simple and profound truth: human life is a gift and must always be welcomed with respect, care, and gratitude. Therefore, faced with the reality of so many mothers experiencing pregnancy in conditions of solitude or marginalization, I feel duty-bound to remind everyone that the civil community and the ecclesial community must consistently commit themselves to restoring motherhood to its full dignity. To this end, concrete initiatives are needed: policies that guarantee adequate living and working conditions; educational and cultural initiatives that recognize the beauty of generating together; and pastoral care that accompanies women and men with closeness and attentiveness. Motherhood and fatherhood, thus protected, are not burdens weighing on society, but rather a hope that strengthens and renews it.

Dear professors and students, your contribution to the development of the social doctrine on the family corresponds to the mission entrusted to your Institute by Pope Francis in the letter Summa familiae cura , where he wrote: "The centrality of the family in the pastoral conversion of our communities and the missionary transformation of the Church demands that – even at the level of academic formation – reflection on marriage and the family never lack a pastoral perspective and attention to the wounds of humanity." In recent years, your Institute has welcomed the indications of the Apostolic Constitution Veritatis gaudium , for a theology that cultivates open and dialogical thought, a culture "of the encounter between all authentic and vital cultures, thanks to the mutual exchange of their respective gifts in the space of light opened up by God's love for all his creatures" (n. 4b). For this reason, you seek to exercise an inter- and trans-disciplinary method in the light of Revelation (cf. ibid ., 4c). From this perspective, the consolidated basis of philosophical and theological studies has been enriched by the interaction with other disciplines, allowing for the exploration of important areas of research.

Among these, I would like to highlight, as a further commitment, the need to deepen the connection between the family and the social doctrine of the Church. This process could unfold in two complementary directions: first, by including the study of the family as an essential chapter in the heritage of wisdom the Church offers on social life, and secondly, by enriching this heritage with family experiences and dynamics, to better understand the very principles of the Church's social teaching. This focus would allow us to develop the insight, recalled by the Second Vatican Council and repeatedly reaffirmed by my predecessors, of seeing the family as the first cell of society, as the original and fundamental school of humanity.

In the pastoral sphere, we cannot ignore the tendencies, in many regions of the world, to dislike, or even reject, marriage. I would like to invite you, in your reflection on preparation for the sacrament of Matrimony, to be attentive to the action of God's grace in the heart of every man and woman. Even when young people make choices that do not correspond to the paths proposed by the Church according to the teaching of Jesus, the Lord continues to knock on the door of their hearts, preparing them to receive a new interior calling. If your theological and pastoral research is rooted in prayerful dialogue with the Lord, you will find the courage to invent new words that can profoundly touch the consciences of young people. Indeed, our time is marked not only by tensions and ideologies that confuse hearts, but also by a growing search for spirituality, truth, and justice, especially among young people. Welcoming and nurturing this desire is one of the most beautiful and urgent tasks for all of us.

Finally, I would like to encourage you to continue the synodal journey as an integral part of your formation. Especially in an international university, it is necessary to practice mutual listening to better discern how to grow together in the service of marriage and the family. Always draw "from your baptismal vocation, placing at the center your relationship with Christ and the acceptance of your brothers and sisters, starting with the poorest" ( Address to the Diocese of Rome , 19 September 2025). In this way, you will do as happens in every good family, learning from the very reality you wish to serve. As the Final Document of the last Assembly of the Synod of Bishops states , "families represent a privileged place to learn and experience the essential practices of a synodal Church. Despite the fractures and suffering that families experience, they remain places where we learn to exchange the gifts of love, trust, forgiveness, reconciliation, and understanding" (n. 35). There is truly much to learn about transmitting the faith, the daily practice of listening and prayer, education in love and peace, fraternity with migrants and strangers, and care for the planet. In all these dimensions, family life precedes and informs our study, especially through testimonies of dedication and holiness.

Dear students, dear professors, begin the new academic year with hope, certain that the Lord Jesus always sustains us with the grace of his Spirit of truth and life. Upon all of you, I cordially impart my apostolic blessing. Thank you.