Pope Leo XIV offers 3 pieces of advice to priests of the Pontifical Portuguese College

Pope Leo XIV received in audience the members of the Pontifical Portuguese College, whom he advised to cultivate mutual listening, trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and live collegiality.

Cultivate mutual listening

At the beginning of his speech, the Holy Father addressed the Portuguese priests to remind them of the importance of listening in their mission:

“When, for human promotion and for the glory of God, we listen to each other and respect what the Holy Spirit raises in each believer, we distinguish with greater clarity and confidence the signs of the times, working together in the construction of the Kingdom of Christ.”

He also highlighted the dimension of the universality of the Church and that of divine mercy, something that is experienced with greater intensity during the jubilee years, “an opportunity,” the Holy Father noted, “to acquire a more intense awareness of the gift of mercy that flows from the Heart of Christ.”

Trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Holy Father recalled that the first students of the Pontifical Portuguese College – founded by Pope Leo

The Pope insisted that a College consecrated to the Heart of Christ “is a school of divine mercy, in which students, imitating the beloved disciple, listen to the heartbeat of God’s love and thus become true theologians.”

In this context, he stressed that a priest, whatever the mission entrusted to him, “always finds in it an opportunity to configure himself to the Good Shepherd: it is not enough for him to have a heart of flesh, a human and wise heart, but he feels the need for a heart like that of Jesus, always united to the Father, passionate about the Church and full of compassion.”

The Holy Father also encouraged them to find rest in Him and “rebuild” the unity of life, as well as to remain “united with the Lord Jesus in listening to His Word, in the celebration of the Sacraments —especially the Eucharist—, in Adoration, in spiritual discernment and in fraternal kindness among yourselves.”

Live collegiality

Next, the Pope recommended that they make their school a “home” where collegiality is experienced: “Build a collegiate house that is also welcoming, as the Church should be,” he stated.

At the end of his speech, the Pope recalled that the College received the title of “House of Life” for the reception of Jews during the Second World War. “This title is at the same time a legacy and a responsibility in your daily construction of fraternity,” he stressed.

He also remembered the Franciscan Sisters of the Virgin of Victories, who belong to the College, and thanked them for their dedication to the priests and for their maternal attitude: “No one can replace the closeness of spiritual motherhood, and you have offered and cultivated it for fifty years: although discreet, it is not hidden from the eyes of God,” he noted.

Finally, he asked them to pray the Rosary during this month and ask for the intercession of the Virgin of Fatima, for his mission as Pontiff, “for the Church and for peace,” he concluded.