Pope Leo XIV sends a message to priests serving in the Paris region, and encourages them to cultivate fraternity and unity, even amid challenging ecclesial and social conditions.
By Delphine Allaire
On the occasion of their priestly jubilee, the bishops and priests of the Ecclesiastical Province of Paris received a message from Pope Leon XIV on Thursday, which was read during Mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral.
In his message, Pope Leo XIV recalled the 60th anniversary of the Presbyterorum Ordinis decree, upon which the priests of the eight dioceses of the Île-de-France region were reflecting during their jubilee celebration.
“I am pleased to express my paternal affection and offer my heartfelt encouragement for the continuation of your ministry in service to the people of God entrusted to you,” said the Pope in his message read by Bishop Dominique Blanchet of Créteil, whom Pope Leo XIV recently appointed as Prelate of the Mission de France.
The Pope said he was well aware of the challenging ecclesial and social conditions the priests face.
He invited priests to root their life and ministry in a love that is ever stronger, more personal, and authentic for Jesus, as well as in “a generous and unconditional love for your communities—a love marked by closeness, compassion, gentleness, humility, and simplicity,” as the late Pope Francis so often reminded us.
“In this way, you will be credible, even if you are not yet saints, and you will touch the hearts of those who are farthest away, win their trust, and help them encounter Jesus,” continued the Pope. “I invite you to cultivate priestly fraternity among yourselves, to maintain a close bond of charity with your bishops, and to pray unceasingly for the unity of the Church.”
Pope Leo prayed that the Holy Spirit might “help you renew each day the generous gift of yourselves that you made to the Lord on the day of your ordination.”
He concluded by invoking for the priests the protection of Our Lady and the intercession of all the saintly priests and bishops of Paris who preceded them.
Throughout Thursday, the priests of Île-de-France were invited to gather in eight locations across the dioceses, chosen for their spiritual significance, for a time of study with their bishops, including a reflection on the decree Presbyterorum Ordinis, promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1965, on the ministry and life of priests.
They then converged at Notre-Dame Cathedral to undertake a jubilee pilgrimage and celebrate Mass together in the late afternoon.
