Leo XIV highlights the service to migrants and the evangelization of the remote as key charisms for today

Pope Leo XIV directed a speech to the bishops and generals of the congregations of the Escaabrinian parents and the redemptive, and highlighted the work they do in the service to the migrants and the evangelization of the remote ones.

“You, Religious Scalabrinians and redeemer, called and consecrated for the service of the episcopate and even the cardinal, carry in their ministry the inheritance of two important charisms, especially in our day: the service to the migrants and the evangelization of the poor and the remote ones,” he said in the speech he said this morning in the room of the Vatican consistory.

The meeting was motivated by the decision of these two religious congregations to meet and dialogue “with those brothers whom they have offered the Church in the Episcopal Ministry”, as the Pope revealed.

In this sense, Leo XIV stressed that this exchange of experiences enriches not only the bishops and religious communities, but also to the entire people of God.

The Pontiff expressed his recognition to the sacrifice he implies for these religious families to yield to their most committed members for the Episcopal Service, particularly in times marked by the “shortage of vocations.”

“The Church is grateful to its institutes, which it has asked – with the appointment of bishops among its members – a sacrifice nothing small in times of shortage of religious vocations, since depriving themselves of committed brothers in the service of the various works generates not a few challenges,” he said.

The Pope then joked: “Maybe the superior general reminds me!”

In any case, he said that giving two members of the congregations for the Episcopal Ministry constitutes “an immense gift”, since “the service to the universal church is, for every religious family, the most beautiful grace and joy, as its founders would undoubtedly confirm.”

Directing in particular the missionaries of San Carlos Borromeo – known as Calabrinians – the Pope recalled the figure of its founder, San Juan Bautista Scalabrini, Bishop of Piacenza and pioneer in pastoral care for Italian migrants in America in the 19th century. “He knew how to make the hopes and sufferings of so many people who started leaving everything behind,” he said, praising his ability to respond to the human and spiritual challenges of forced migrations.

He also referred to San Alfonso María de Ligorio, which in 1732 founded the congregation of the Blessed Redeemer (redemptive parents), with the mission of evangelizing the poor and the furthest, especially through popular missions, simple catechesis and spiritual direction.

“Upon contacting the misery of the most abandoned neighborhoods of the Naples of the 18th century, he resigned from a accommodated life and a lucrative career, hugging the mission of bringing the gospel to the last,” said this saint of the Church that he has also been proclaimed doctor of the Church for his deep moral and spiritual teaching.

The Pope contextualized the legacy of these two saints in the midst of contemporary problems, remembering that, as in the past, the world lives a deep tension between global opportunities and structural injustices that generate poverty and exclusion.

In this sense, he said: “Today as yesterday, the voice we must hear to understand what to do is the love of God shed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”

He added: “Also in our world the work of the Lord always precedes us: An it we are called to form our minds and hearts through a wise discernment. And I am convinced that the dialogue they have promoted will be very useful for this purpose.”

Finally, Leo XIV encouraged the religious to “maintain and cultivate” the fraternal aid links between congregations and diocese, promoting a generous and selfless collaboration “for the good of the whole flock of Christ.”