Pope Leo XIV Tells Religious "Let us not give up! Jesus continues walking with his Church and making fruitful the lives of those who place themselves in his hands" FULL TEXT in Argentina
.png)
At 2.50 pm (6.50 pm Rome time), the Holy Father Leo XIV took leave of the Archbishop's House and traveled by car to the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción for a meeting with the Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Men and Women Religious, Seminarians and Pastoral Workers.
The Holy Father arrived in an open car in the square in front of the Cathedral and soon took his place in the churchyard.
After words of welcome from the Archbishop of Córdoba and the testimonies of a consecrated woman, a seminarian, a priest, and a nun, the Holy Father delivered his address.
The meeting concluded with a blessing, the presentation of a gift to the Pope, and a final song.
ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Cordoba)
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
___________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus:
I would like to begin by thanking Cardinal Rossi for his words, as well as those who have shared their testimonies, and everyone for the affection with which they have received me. I am very happy to be with you today. You of the consecrated life, seminarians, priests, all the baptized who have dedicated your lives to the service of the Lord and his people.
During this last song, many of you had your hands in the air; perhaps to greet me, perhaps to join in the singing. These are the hands that Jesus is looking for, and he wants your hands to continue his mission.
As I prepared these words, the Spiritual Exercises , so present in the history of this land, came to mind . It was a happy coincidence to hear Sister Maria Elisabeth recall one of her contemplations. When their practice was in danger of being lost, Mama Antula traveled enormous distances to keep them accessible to everyone. Decades later, Saint Cura Brochero made them a central part of his ministry, crossing the mountains with his countrymen to this city so that they could encounter God personally. And recently, an Argentinian Jesuit, Pope Francis , took with him the richness of Ignatian spirituality and shared it with the universal Church.
Today, too, priests, seminarians, religious families, and lay people are withdrawing to observe silence and ask themselves again before God what He wants of their lives. Therefore, I would like to let some of the questions from the Spiritual Exercises accompany us this afternoon. St. Ignatius begins with the Principle and Foundation (cf. n. 23). Thus, the first question is this: Why are we here? Before any responsibility, ministry, or task, there was a call. Christ passed through our lives one day, called us, and we understood that it was worthwhile to follow Him. Everything that would come after should continue to spring from that first "yes."
Over the years, something paradoxical can happen: we may work hard for God and spend less and less time with Him. We continue serving, celebrating, and attending to so many necessary tasks, but we can end up relying more on what we do than on the One for whom we do it. The Principle and Foundation then puts everything back in its proper place: our life belongs to God and only finds its order when everything else has Him at its center. Let us return, then, with simplicity to the Eucharist, to listening to the Word, to that communion with the Lord that sustains everything else. Let us nurture that fire that once ignited our vocation and not allow urgency, weariness, or routine to extinguish it.
Then, during the Exercises , we encounter questions we cannot avoid: What has become disordered within us? How have we failed God? (cf. nos. 32-43). After a few or many years of having said yes to the Master, we might become accustomed to things that would have previously troubled us: harshness toward others, resistance to being corrected, rivalries, affections, sins, or attachments that gradually rob us of our freedom. Something even more serious can happen: we learn to justify everything, finding “pastoral,” communal, or personal reasons for what we know is wrong.
We also fail when we don't do the good we should: when we no longer listen patiently, when we choose comfort, or when we remain silent in the face of something we should confront. There is no age at which conversion can be dispensed with. We need to examine our conscience, go to confession, and maintain the humility to allow ourselves to be corrected. Dear brothers and sisters, let us have the courage to clearly acknowledge where we have been unfaithful to God and to place it before his mercy.
And it is precisely only after having faced our own sin head-on that St. Ignatius places us before Christ, the eternal King (cf. nos. 91-98), who continues to call and continues to send. The Lord knew what clay we were made of, and yet He still chose to count on us (cf. 2 Cor 4:7). The question, therefore, is not how much we have failed Him, but whether we remain available to Him. At the dawn of our vocation, we tend to offer everything. Then the years pass, and preferences emerge, along with places where we feel comfortable and a certain idea of how our story should continue. Can the Lord still send us where we hadn't considered? Can He ask us to leave something to which we have dedicated years or to accept a task we would never have chosen?
This freedom is what is purified in the meditations on Two Flags , the Three Binaries , and the Choice (cf. nos. 136-189): learning to recognize what binds us, what conditions our decisions, and to what extent we are willing to let God work in our lives. Indeed, we have been sent to a people, and we must ask ourselves what we are called to offer them. Dear seminarians, learn to see with God's eyes and allow yourselves to be evangelized by his people. Even those who have the least can teach us a great deal, as Julián discovered at Mass.
The Church in Argentina possesses a rich and profound sensitivity to the social needs of its members. From this sensitivity have sprung forth countless generous acts of service to those who suffer. But this closeness must lead us even further, because every person we serve is called to encounter Christ and be transformed by Him. Pope Francis expressed this in words that deserve to be remembered: “The worst discrimination the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual attention” ( Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium , 200).
Hunger and injustice are urgent and demand a response. So too are illness, loneliness, unemployment, and the lack of decent housing. Christian charity is deeply committed to all of these. We must not forget that those who suffer need to receive from us the greatest gift the Church possesses: Jesus Christ. My dear Predecessor expressed this with particular clarity: “The Church is not a business, it is not a humanitarian agency, the Church is not an NGO; the Church is sent to bring everyone to Christ and his Gospel. […] If, hypothetically, it were ever to happen that the Church did not bring Jesus, that would be a dead Church” ( Catechesis, October 23, 2013 ). How great, then, is our vocation! To be bearers of Christ’s presence, to make possible the encounter with him through the Word, the sacraments, and a closeness that helps people recognize his presence in their own lives. The people entrusted to you long to receive from you what the Church has been safeguarding for them for centuries.
After the election , the Exercises lead the retreatant to remain with Christ in his Passion (cf. nos. 190-217). Those who have chosen to follow the Lord then learn to be with him when that discipleship leads through the cross (cf. Lk 9:23). Our vocation also experiences these times: when the fruit is not visible, when serving is difficult, and when fidelity no longer receives the support of the enthusiasm of the early years. Many of you know this kind of tiring fidelity well: continuing to pray when prayer becomes barren and continuing to serve when, no matter how much you work, nothing seems to change. There are stages in the priestly and consecrated life in which remaining is already a very concrete form of commitment. Even with questions and weariness, one continues to say with one's life: “Here I am.”
Saint Hector Valdivielso, the first Argentine saint, is a model of such fidelity. He was barely twenty-four years old and had just finished his annual Spiritual Exercises when that which he had barely placed before God had to sustain him in his trial. Prayer then became witness, and that witness led to the shedding of his blood.
There are other ways to bear witness, too, persevering in the midst of suffering. Laura and Father Martín have made me think of my recent hospitalization and also of Father Brochero , who, blind and suffering from leprosy, continued serving his people. Today, the idea of using technology to continue bearing witness is wonderful; be creative and find new ways to keep preaching. Dear friends, remember, what evangelizes is the way we live our vocation. Neither age nor physical limitations can extinguish zeal: our strength may be exhausted, but never the power of God.
And that power is revealed in the Resurrection of the Lord. St. Ignatius leads the retreatant to the Risen Lord and asks him to contemplate how Christ exercises the "office of consolation" (n. 224). There he teaches us to discover where the Master is at work and to receive from Him the strength to return to the mission. The Church that journeys in Argentina also needs to look at itself, gratefully acknowledging what God is already stirring within it and asking itself where He wants to open new paths. The Risen Lord is already there, and He goes before us (cf. Mt 28:7).
At the end of the Exercises , the Contemplation to Attain Love invites us to reflect on how much we have received from God (cf. nos. 230-237). And in the face of such a gift, St. Ignatius proposes the response: “Take, Lord, and receive…” (no. 234). The journey of the retreat ends where it all began: in a life once again placed at God’s disposal, with its possibilities and also its limitations. Perhaps the question we try to answer today is: Can the Lord still dispose of me? And if the answer remains “yes,” then there is much to be done. Let us not give up! Jesus continues walking with his Church and making fruitful the lives of those who place themselves in his hands.
Argentina knows well what God can do with a life dedicated to God. Mama Antula arrived in Buenos Aires barefoot and with only a crucifix: she had little, but it was all she needed to begin. Brochero continued preaching, even though many times only God and his mule witnessed his weariness. Blessed Ceferino died before his nineteenth birthday; he didn't have time to grow old, but he did have time to make it very clear for whom he wanted to live. God continues to pour out his grace and wants to count on you to carry it from La Quiaca to Ushuaia, and to the farthest corners of the earth (cf. Mk 16:15).
Dare to look at Argentina through God's eyes! Dream of young people wondering if Christ is calling them; of parishes that are vibrant communities of faith; of religious families with the boldness of their founders; of seminaries and novitiates where saints are formed… Dream of a Church that continues to make a mess, as your fellow countryman Francis asked you to ! (cf. Meeting with young Argentinians, Rio de Janeiro, July 25, 2013 ). A mess that takes it to every corner and makes the Gospel of Jesus Christ resound everywhere.
Dear brothers and sisters, if the Exercises teach us anything, it is that after examining our lives before God, we must return to them transformed. Let us return to our communities with hope, with freedom, and with a desire to continue serving. Perhaps we will not see all that God will do with what we sow today; neither did those who came before us, but without their sacrifice, we would not be here today.
May God find in us men and women willing to follow Him and be molded by His love. People who don't give up until they reach holiness. The Lord has done great things on this earth, and I am convinced He will do many more. May Our Lady of Luján accompany us on this journey and help us to tell the Lord, through our lives, that He can continue to count on us. Thank you very much.
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Cordoba)
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
___________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus:
I would like to begin by thanking Cardinal Rossi for his words, as well as those who have shared their testimonies, and everyone for the affection with which they have received me. I am very happy to be with you today. You of the consecrated life, seminarians, priests, all the baptized who have dedicated your lives to the service of the Lord and his people.
During this last song, many of you had your hands in the air; perhaps to greet me, perhaps to join in the singing. These are the hands that Jesus is looking for, and he wants your hands to continue his mission.
As I prepared these words, the Spiritual Exercises , so present in the history of this land, came to mind . It was a happy coincidence to hear Sister Maria Elisabeth recall one of her contemplations. When their practice was in danger of being lost, Mama Antula traveled enormous distances to keep them accessible to everyone. Decades later, Saint Cura Brochero made them a central part of his ministry, crossing the mountains with his countrymen to this city so that they could encounter God personally. And recently, an Argentinian Jesuit, Pope Francis , took with him the richness of Ignatian spirituality and shared it with the universal Church.
Today, too, priests, seminarians, religious families, and lay people are withdrawing to observe silence and ask themselves again before God what He wants of their lives. Therefore, I would like to let some of the questions from the Spiritual Exercises accompany us this afternoon. St. Ignatius begins with the Principle and Foundation (cf. n. 23). Thus, the first question is this: Why are we here? Before any responsibility, ministry, or task, there was a call. Christ passed through our lives one day, called us, and we understood that it was worthwhile to follow Him. Everything that would come after should continue to spring from that first "yes."
Over the years, something paradoxical can happen: we may work hard for God and spend less and less time with Him. We continue serving, celebrating, and attending to so many necessary tasks, but we can end up relying more on what we do than on the One for whom we do it. The Principle and Foundation then puts everything back in its proper place: our life belongs to God and only finds its order when everything else has Him at its center. Let us return, then, with simplicity to the Eucharist, to listening to the Word, to that communion with the Lord that sustains everything else. Let us nurture that fire that once ignited our vocation and not allow urgency, weariness, or routine to extinguish it.
Then, during the Exercises , we encounter questions we cannot avoid: What has become disordered within us? How have we failed God? (cf. nos. 32-43). After a few or many years of having said yes to the Master, we might become accustomed to things that would have previously troubled us: harshness toward others, resistance to being corrected, rivalries, affections, sins, or attachments that gradually rob us of our freedom. Something even more serious can happen: we learn to justify everything, finding “pastoral,” communal, or personal reasons for what we know is wrong.
We also fail when we don't do the good we should: when we no longer listen patiently, when we choose comfort, or when we remain silent in the face of something we should confront. There is no age at which conversion can be dispensed with. We need to examine our conscience, go to confession, and maintain the humility to allow ourselves to be corrected. Dear brothers and sisters, let us have the courage to clearly acknowledge where we have been unfaithful to God and to place it before his mercy.
And it is precisely only after having faced our own sin head-on that St. Ignatius places us before Christ, the eternal King (cf. nos. 91-98), who continues to call and continues to send. The Lord knew what clay we were made of, and yet He still chose to count on us (cf. 2 Cor 4:7). The question, therefore, is not how much we have failed Him, but whether we remain available to Him. At the dawn of our vocation, we tend to offer everything. Then the years pass, and preferences emerge, along with places where we feel comfortable and a certain idea of how our story should continue. Can the Lord still send us where we hadn't considered? Can He ask us to leave something to which we have dedicated years or to accept a task we would never have chosen?
This freedom is what is purified in the meditations on Two Flags , the Three Binaries , and the Choice (cf. nos. 136-189): learning to recognize what binds us, what conditions our decisions, and to what extent we are willing to let God work in our lives. Indeed, we have been sent to a people, and we must ask ourselves what we are called to offer them. Dear seminarians, learn to see with God's eyes and allow yourselves to be evangelized by his people. Even those who have the least can teach us a great deal, as Julián discovered at Mass.
The Church in Argentina possesses a rich and profound sensitivity to the social needs of its members. From this sensitivity have sprung forth countless generous acts of service to those who suffer. But this closeness must lead us even further, because every person we serve is called to encounter Christ and be transformed by Him. Pope Francis expressed this in words that deserve to be remembered: “The worst discrimination the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual attention” ( Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium , 200).
Hunger and injustice are urgent and demand a response. So too are illness, loneliness, unemployment, and the lack of decent housing. Christian charity is deeply committed to all of these. We must not forget that those who suffer need to receive from us the greatest gift the Church possesses: Jesus Christ. My dear Predecessor expressed this with particular clarity: “The Church is not a business, it is not a humanitarian agency, the Church is not an NGO; the Church is sent to bring everyone to Christ and his Gospel. […] If, hypothetically, it were ever to happen that the Church did not bring Jesus, that would be a dead Church” ( Catechesis, October 23, 2013 ). How great, then, is our vocation! To be bearers of Christ’s presence, to make possible the encounter with him through the Word, the sacraments, and a closeness that helps people recognize his presence in their own lives. The people entrusted to you long to receive from you what the Church has been safeguarding for them for centuries.
After the election , the Exercises lead the retreatant to remain with Christ in his Passion (cf. nos. 190-217). Those who have chosen to follow the Lord then learn to be with him when that discipleship leads through the cross (cf. Lk 9:23). Our vocation also experiences these times: when the fruit is not visible, when serving is difficult, and when fidelity no longer receives the support of the enthusiasm of the early years. Many of you know this kind of tiring fidelity well: continuing to pray when prayer becomes barren and continuing to serve when, no matter how much you work, nothing seems to change. There are stages in the priestly and consecrated life in which remaining is already a very concrete form of commitment. Even with questions and weariness, one continues to say with one's life: “Here I am.”
Saint Hector Valdivielso, the first Argentine saint, is a model of such fidelity. He was barely twenty-four years old and had just finished his annual Spiritual Exercises when that which he had barely placed before God had to sustain him in his trial. Prayer then became witness, and that witness led to the shedding of his blood.
There are other ways to bear witness, too, persevering in the midst of suffering. Laura and Father Martín have made me think of my recent hospitalization and also of Father Brochero , who, blind and suffering from leprosy, continued serving his people. Today, the idea of using technology to continue bearing witness is wonderful; be creative and find new ways to keep preaching. Dear friends, remember, what evangelizes is the way we live our vocation. Neither age nor physical limitations can extinguish zeal: our strength may be exhausted, but never the power of God.
And that power is revealed in the Resurrection of the Lord. St. Ignatius leads the retreatant to the Risen Lord and asks him to contemplate how Christ exercises the "office of consolation" (n. 224). There he teaches us to discover where the Master is at work and to receive from Him the strength to return to the mission. The Church that journeys in Argentina also needs to look at itself, gratefully acknowledging what God is already stirring within it and asking itself where He wants to open new paths. The Risen Lord is already there, and He goes before us (cf. Mt 28:7).
At the end of the Exercises , the Contemplation to Attain Love invites us to reflect on how much we have received from God (cf. nos. 230-237). And in the face of such a gift, St. Ignatius proposes the response: “Take, Lord, and receive…” (no. 234). The journey of the retreat ends where it all began: in a life once again placed at God’s disposal, with its possibilities and also its limitations. Perhaps the question we try to answer today is: Can the Lord still dispose of me? And if the answer remains “yes,” then there is much to be done. Let us not give up! Jesus continues walking with his Church and making fruitful the lives of those who place themselves in his hands.
Argentina knows well what God can do with a life dedicated to God. Mama Antula arrived in Buenos Aires barefoot and with only a crucifix: she had little, but it was all she needed to begin. Brochero continued preaching, even though many times only God and his mule witnessed his weariness. Blessed Ceferino died before his nineteenth birthday; he didn't have time to grow old, but he did have time to make it very clear for whom he wanted to live. God continues to pour out his grace and wants to count on you to carry it from La Quiaca to Ushuaia, and to the farthest corners of the earth (cf. Mk 16:15).
Dare to look at Argentina through God's eyes! Dream of young people wondering if Christ is calling them; of parishes that are vibrant communities of faith; of religious families with the boldness of their founders; of seminaries and novitiates where saints are formed… Dream of a Church that continues to make a mess, as your fellow countryman Francis asked you to ! (cf. Meeting with young Argentinians, Rio de Janeiro, July 25, 2013 ). A mess that takes it to every corner and makes the Gospel of Jesus Christ resound everywhere.
Dear brothers and sisters, if the Exercises teach us anything, it is that after examining our lives before God, we must return to them transformed. Let us return to our communities with hope, with freedom, and with a desire to continue serving. Perhaps we will not see all that God will do with what we sow today; neither did those who came before us, but without their sacrifice, we would not be here today.
May God find in us men and women willing to follow Him and be molded by His love. People who don't give up until they reach holiness. The Lord has done great things on this earth, and I am convinced He will do many more. May Our Lady of Luján accompany us on this journey and help us to tell the Lord, through our lives, that He can continue to count on us. Thank you very much.
Translated from Source: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2026/11/10/0897/01660.html
Comments