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Pope Leo XIV met with members of the National Confederation of the Misericordie of Italy, a voluntary organziation at an audience in the Vatican on Saturday. The roots of the National Confederation of the Misericordie of Italy date back to the 13th-century, when St. Peter of Verona led several lay Catholics to embrace a path of service and devotion in the midst of conflict within the Church and Italian society.
ADDRESS OF POPE LEO XIV
TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL CONFEDERATION
OF THE "MISERICORDIE" OF ITALY
in the Vatican Clementine Hall on Saturday, 14 February 2026
_________________________________
In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
Good morning to you all, and welcome!
I am pleased to meet you all here in such large numbers, from various parts of Italy. I greet His Excellency Monsignor Franco Agostinelli, General Corrector, the other Bishops present, Dr. Domenico Giani, National President of the Confederation, the Correctors and representatives of the various offices in Italy and abroad.
The Misericordie have a centuries-old history, rooted in the Middle Ages, which embodies three important dimensions of lay Christian life: spirituality, charity and attention to contemporary needs.
First of all, let us consider spirituality. Since its inception, your association has drawn strength and inspiration primarily from the life of faith and the sacramental practice of its members. This was the case when, in thirteenth-century Florence, in a climate of war and internal strife within civil and ecclesial communities, thanks to the work of luminous figures such as Saint Peter the Martyr and Piero di Luca Borsi, some lay faithful decided to embark on a different path of devotion and service. Their example, perhaps precisely because of its genuine simplicity, quickly spread to many people, first on the peninsula and then to other countries, reaching Portugal and from there the Americas.
The seed from which the great tree of which you are a part germinated is therefore sacramental in nature – it is based on Baptism – and therefore moral and ascetic. This implies that, in order for the plant to continue to grow, you must first and foremost cultivate the Christian formation of your members with great commitment, through prayer, catechesis, fidelity to the Sacraments – especially Sunday Mass and Confession – and moral consistency in your choices and lifestyles, according to the values of the Gospel and the associative tradition witnessed by your Statutes. Saint John Paul II reminded the members of your Confederation of this when he said: “Through assiduous participation in the sacraments, you will become joyful witnesses of authentic Christian existence and you will be sustained in your steps in following the Lord of life, who through you wants to reveal to today's world, to the people of this astonishing and restless age, the true face of God, ‘rich in mercy’ (Eph 2:4)” (Address to the members of the Confederation of Misericordie d'Italia, 14 June 1986).
From this perspective, the introduction of the figure of the Custodians of Mercy, laypeople who inspire laypeople, is significant, as is the name “corrector” which you use to designate spiritual assistants, seen not as guides external to the community, but as “co-rectors”, helpers, facilitators and travelling companions, whose ministry is exercised and welcomed in an atmosphere of co-responsibility, emotional belonging, and communion, in which everyone is an active agent in the joint effort of growth in Christian perfection.
And so we come to the second dimension: charity. Your history bears witness to the fact that an authentic life of faith cannot be reduced to a disembodied spiritualism, but necessarily gives rise to sensitivity to the needs of others and to generous service, without reserve. I think of so many of your brothers and sisters who have paid dearly for their fidelity to the task assigned to them: to them we offer our heartfelt thanks and our prayers.
Where there is need, the Misericordie are present, in extraordinary emergency situations, in war zones, as in the thousand hidden services of everyday solidarity “to witness the Gospel of charity”, as Pope Francis said, “among people who are sick, elderly, disabled; among minors, immigrants and the poor” (Address to the Groups of the Misericordie e Fratres d’Italia, 14 June 2014). Through the Case di Noi, the Empori solidali, food banks, home care, listening and accompaniment services, you establish relationships of trust and paths of social reintegration with people, which extend far beyond the simple provision of services, however qualified. You do not limit yourselves to “doing for”, but you commit yourselves to “walking with”, recognizing others as brothers and sisters, each with their own dignity and history, to be encountered with gratitude for mutual giving and with whom to walk the path of holiness together.
And there is a final aspect to focus on: attention to contemporary needs, which also characterizes you. Indeed, thanks to a solid spiritual and community base and zeal for the good of others, the Misericordie have for centuries been witnesses of the capacity to adapt and renew, showing that to act “together” and to do “out of love” also helps to act in a free and creative way (cf. Francis, Address to members of Italian Caritas on the 50th anniversary of its founding, 26 June 2021). They are signs of the many and varied activities you have embraced for hundreds of years, according to the needs of others; as well as the presence in this room, addition to your brothers and sisters, of the fratres, who were recently established to promote the culture of giving through the donation of blood, organs and tissues; and also of the “Piccola misericordia” (“Little Mercy”), where children learn to practise charity immediately, from an early age.
Dear friends, I encourage you to continue your commitment as a community in which faith is lived intensely and charity is practised. Aim to grow in spirit and to serve with joy and simplicity, extraneous to any logic of power, devoted to the praise of God and the good of those whom the Lord places on your path. Always be messengers of hope, charity and peace, as symbolized by the Jubilee Icon, which, after a long journey, has visited many communities and is now being handed over to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.
I thank you for what you do, I remember you in my prayers and I cordially impart my apostolic blessing to you and your families. Thank you.
____________________________
Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 14 February 2026
TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL CONFEDERATION
OF THE "MISERICORDIE" OF ITALY
in the Vatican Clementine Hall on Saturday, 14 February 2026
_________________________________
In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
Good morning to you all, and welcome!
I am pleased to meet you all here in such large numbers, from various parts of Italy. I greet His Excellency Monsignor Franco Agostinelli, General Corrector, the other Bishops present, Dr. Domenico Giani, National President of the Confederation, the Correctors and representatives of the various offices in Italy and abroad.
The Misericordie have a centuries-old history, rooted in the Middle Ages, which embodies three important dimensions of lay Christian life: spirituality, charity and attention to contemporary needs.
First of all, let us consider spirituality. Since its inception, your association has drawn strength and inspiration primarily from the life of faith and the sacramental practice of its members. This was the case when, in thirteenth-century Florence, in a climate of war and internal strife within civil and ecclesial communities, thanks to the work of luminous figures such as Saint Peter the Martyr and Piero di Luca Borsi, some lay faithful decided to embark on a different path of devotion and service. Their example, perhaps precisely because of its genuine simplicity, quickly spread to many people, first on the peninsula and then to other countries, reaching Portugal and from there the Americas.
The seed from which the great tree of which you are a part germinated is therefore sacramental in nature – it is based on Baptism – and therefore moral and ascetic. This implies that, in order for the plant to continue to grow, you must first and foremost cultivate the Christian formation of your members with great commitment, through prayer, catechesis, fidelity to the Sacraments – especially Sunday Mass and Confession – and moral consistency in your choices and lifestyles, according to the values of the Gospel and the associative tradition witnessed by your Statutes. Saint John Paul II reminded the members of your Confederation of this when he said: “Through assiduous participation in the sacraments, you will become joyful witnesses of authentic Christian existence and you will be sustained in your steps in following the Lord of life, who through you wants to reveal to today's world, to the people of this astonishing and restless age, the true face of God, ‘rich in mercy’ (Eph 2:4)” (Address to the members of the Confederation of Misericordie d'Italia, 14 June 1986).
From this perspective, the introduction of the figure of the Custodians of Mercy, laypeople who inspire laypeople, is significant, as is the name “corrector” which you use to designate spiritual assistants, seen not as guides external to the community, but as “co-rectors”, helpers, facilitators and travelling companions, whose ministry is exercised and welcomed in an atmosphere of co-responsibility, emotional belonging, and communion, in which everyone is an active agent in the joint effort of growth in Christian perfection.
And so we come to the second dimension: charity. Your history bears witness to the fact that an authentic life of faith cannot be reduced to a disembodied spiritualism, but necessarily gives rise to sensitivity to the needs of others and to generous service, without reserve. I think of so many of your brothers and sisters who have paid dearly for their fidelity to the task assigned to them: to them we offer our heartfelt thanks and our prayers.
Where there is need, the Misericordie are present, in extraordinary emergency situations, in war zones, as in the thousand hidden services of everyday solidarity “to witness the Gospel of charity”, as Pope Francis said, “among people who are sick, elderly, disabled; among minors, immigrants and the poor” (Address to the Groups of the Misericordie e Fratres d’Italia, 14 June 2014). Through the Case di Noi, the Empori solidali, food banks, home care, listening and accompaniment services, you establish relationships of trust and paths of social reintegration with people, which extend far beyond the simple provision of services, however qualified. You do not limit yourselves to “doing for”, but you commit yourselves to “walking with”, recognizing others as brothers and sisters, each with their own dignity and history, to be encountered with gratitude for mutual giving and with whom to walk the path of holiness together.
And there is a final aspect to focus on: attention to contemporary needs, which also characterizes you. Indeed, thanks to a solid spiritual and community base and zeal for the good of others, the Misericordie have for centuries been witnesses of the capacity to adapt and renew, showing that to act “together” and to do “out of love” also helps to act in a free and creative way (cf. Francis, Address to members of Italian Caritas on the 50th anniversary of its founding, 26 June 2021). They are signs of the many and varied activities you have embraced for hundreds of years, according to the needs of others; as well as the presence in this room, addition to your brothers and sisters, of the fratres, who were recently established to promote the culture of giving through the donation of blood, organs and tissues; and also of the “Piccola misericordia” (“Little Mercy”), where children learn to practise charity immediately, from an early age.
Dear friends, I encourage you to continue your commitment as a community in which faith is lived intensely and charity is practised. Aim to grow in spirit and to serve with joy and simplicity, extraneous to any logic of power, devoted to the praise of God and the good of those whom the Lord places on your path. Always be messengers of hope, charity and peace, as symbolized by the Jubilee Icon, which, after a long journey, has visited many communities and is now being handed over to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.
I thank you for what you do, I remember you in my prayers and I cordially impart my apostolic blessing to you and your families. Thank you.
____________________________
Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 14 February 2026
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