Pope Leo XIV Expresses a Wish "that the Church may be a family for all those who have been left behind" and Reveals 4 Bridges for Aid - FULL TEXT to Drug Addiction Organization

Meeting with the Pontificial Commission for Latin America, Pope Leo XIV encourages the Church in Latin America to accompany families that undergo the pain of substance abuse, violence, or poverty. Pope Leo XIV met on Thursday with participants in a meeting promoted by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, which focused on the topic “Addiction in Latin America.” He noted the Commission's collaboration with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops’ Council (CELAM), saying they help train people for faith-based community organizations.
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEETING PROMOTED BY THE
PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR LATIN AMERICA
ON SITUATIONS OF ADDICTION IN LATIN AMERICA
Council Chamber on Thursday, August 27, 2026
_____________________________
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.

Good morning everyone and welcome!

I greet each of you with fraternal affection. I express my particular gratitude to the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) and the Organization of American States (OAS) for facilitating this meeting, as well as to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and the Pontifical Academy for Life .

I also greet the brothers from the faith-based centers for accompaniment, prevention, recovery and integration for young people, who come from Asia, Africa, Europe and America, and whose presence reminds us that suffering and hope have no borders.

The topic that brings us together is to reflect, from a faith-based perspective, on the problem of drugs and their impact on our youth. Addiction is a complex phenomenon that reveals the failure of a dehumanized world. The suffering of young people demands comprehensive responses: community-based prevention, scientifically sound care, justice with a human face, and close pastoral support. Our contribution must be directed toward caring for, being present with, and rebuilding the fabric of the community.

I am pleased to note how, in this meeting, four bridges converge, representing as many avenues of collaboration in this field.

The first bridge is between the Church and international organizations, since no one can face the drug problem alone. Therefore, the ongoing collaboration between the Organization of American States and the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) deserves special mention. They coordinate training for faith-based community organizations, build support networks, and have even enabled CELAM to present the Latin American Pastoral Manual for Accompaniment and Prevention of Addictions.

The second bridge is between science and faith. The Church does not intervene in the drug problem with the intention of competing with or taking the place of neuroscience, psychiatry, or public health; rather, it seeks to illuminate it from the Gospel with a holistic understanding of the human person.

The third bridge is within the Church as it journeys across the continents. In recent days, people from the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe have come here to share their sorrows, hopes, and pastoral enthusiasms.

The fourth bridge is ecumenical. The Catholic Church and other ecclesial communities, in the practice of concrete love for those who suffer, find a very eloquent common language of faith to accompany and integrate young people in their needs and dreams.

But let me pause for a moment to consider an institution that runs through all aspects of our work: the family. The family, which the Second Vatican Council rightly called the “domestic church” (cf. Lumen Gentium , 11), is the place where life is nurtured, cared for, and put into practice. There is no better prevention against drugs than a good family.

Today, we witness the pain of many broken families, whether due to drug use, violence, the criminal recruitment of a child, poverty, or a lack of opportunities that push them to the side of the road. Saint John Paul II asked us to make the Church “the home and school of communion” ( Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte , 43). And Pope Francis reminded us that Jesus wants us to “touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others” ( Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium , 270). Herein lies the core of the mission you carry out: that the Church be a family, especially including those who suffer.

Finally, I would like to express a wish: that the Church may be a family for all those who have been left behind. Like the Good Samaritan, who became a neighbor to the fallen man, let us not pass by; let us build a Church that stops, draws near, is moved, anoints wounds, nourishes, and becomes a home.

Thank you for your work. God bless you.

I impart to you the Lord's blessing. May God's grace always be with you, your families, and your work. The work you do in different parts of the world is very important.

[Blessing]