In the framework of the Jubilee of the Missionary World and Migrants, Pope Leo XIV presided over Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Square, in a climate of celebration and reflection on the role of mission in the contemporary Church.

During his homily, the Holy Father emphasized that “the whole Church is missionary” and that today the frontier of mission is no longer measured in kilometers, but in the human suffering that knocks on the doors of Christian communities: “It is not a question of leaving for distant lands, but of remaining, of welcoming, of opening our arms and hearts to those who come from fragility and hope.”

The Pontiff recalled with particular emphasis the plight of migrants: “Brothers and sisters, those boats waiting to catch sight of a safe harbor and those eyes filled with anguish cannot and must not encounter the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination.” Faced with this challenge, he urged a response of compassion and solidarity that transforms believers into “a presence of consolation and hope.”

In his reflection, the Pope recalled the words of the prophet Habakkuk and Benedict XVI’s meditations on God’s silence in the face of evil, pointing out that faith is the response that opens paths to salvation: “Faith, even if it is only a grain of mustard seed, contains the power of God’s love that transforms history.”

The Holy Father outlined two fundamental commitments for the Church’s mission: missionary cooperation—which invites Churches of ancient tradition to be enriched by the vitality of the communities in the global South—and the promotion of new missionary vocations, especially in Europe, with an eye toward young people.

“Today a new missionary era begins in the history of the Church,” said Leo XIV, quoting Saint Paul VI and his predecessor Francis to insist on the urgency of living in a “permanent state of mission.”

The homily concluded with a special blessing for the missionaries, local communities, and migrants, to whom the Pope addressed a clear message: “You are always welcome. The seas and deserts you have crossed are, in Scripture, places of salvation. May you find the face of God in the missionaries who welcome you.”

Full text of the homily:

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today we celebrate the Jubilee of the Missionary World and of Migrants. It is a beautiful occasion to rekindle within us the awareness of the missionary vocation, born of the desire to bring the joy and consolation of the Gospel to all, especially to those who live a difficult and wounded history. I think in particular of our migrant brothers and sisters, who have had to leave their homeland, often leaving their loved ones behind, enduring nights of fear and loneliness, and experiencing discrimination and violence firsthand.

We are here because, before the tomb of the Apostle Peter, each of us must say with joy: the whole Church is missionary, and it is urgent—as Pope Francis affirmed—that she “go forth to proclaim the Gospel to all, in all places, on all occasions, without delay, without loathing, and without fear” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 23).

The Spirit commands us to continue Christ’s work in the world’s peripheries, sometimes marked by war, injustice, and suffering. In the face of these dark scenarios, the cry that has been raised to God so often in history arises again: Lord, why don’t you intervene? Why do you seem absent? This cry of pain is a form of prayer that permeates the entire Scriptures, and this morning we heard it from the prophet Habakkuk: “How long, Lord, must I cry for help, and you will not hear? Why do you show me iniquity and look on oppression?” (Hag 1:2-3).

Pope Benedict XVI, who addressed these questions during his historic visit to Auschwitz, returned to the theme in a catechesis, stating: “God is silent, and this silence lacerates the soul of the person praying, who calls out incessantly, but finds no answer. […] God seems so distant, forgetful, so absent” (Catechesis, 14 September 2011).

The Lord’s response, however, opens us to hope. While the prophet denounces the inescapable force of evil that seems to prevail, the Lord, for his part, announces that all this has a fixed time, a final end, because salvation will come and will not delay: “Whoever does not live uprightly will perish, but the righteous will live by his faithfulness” (Hag 2:4).

There is a life, therefore, a new possibility of life and salvation that comes from faith, because faith not only helps us resist evil by persevering in good, but also transforms our existence to make it an instrument of the salvation that God continues to desire to accomplish in the world. And, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel, it is a gentle force; faith does not impose itself through the means of power or in extraordinary ways; a mustard seed is enough to achieve unthinkable things (cf.  Luke 17:6), because it carries within it the power of God’s love that opens paths of salvation.

It is a salvation that is realized when we personally commit ourselves to and take on the suffering of our neighbors with the compassion of the Gospel; it is a salvation that develops, silently and seemingly ineffectively, in everyday gestures and words, which are like the tiny seed of which Jesus speaks; it is a salvation that slowly grows when we become “unprofitable servants,” that is, when we place ourselves at the service of the Gospel and of our brothers and sisters, not to pursue our own interests, but solely to bring the Lord’s love to the world.

With this confidence, we are called to renew within ourselves the fire of the missionary vocation. As Saint Paul VI affirmed, “It is our task to proclaim the Gospel in this extraordinary period of human history, a time, certainly, without precedent, in which, with heights of progress never before achieved, are accompanied by depths of perplexity and despair, also unprecedented” (Message for World Mission Sunday, 25 June 1971).

Brothers and sisters, today a new missionary era begins in the history of the Church.

If for a long time we have associated mission with “departure,” with going to distant lands that had not known the Gospel or were in situations of poverty, today the borders of mission are no longer geographical, because poverty, suffering, and the desire for greater hope come to us. This is attested by the story of many of our migrant brothers and sisters: the drama of their escape from violence, the suffering that accompanies them, the fear of not making it, the risk of dangerous journeys along the coasts of the sea, their cry of pain and despair. Brothers and sisters, those boats waiting to spot a safe harbor in which to stop, and those eyes filled with anguish and hope that search for solid ground to reach, cannot and must not encounter the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination.

The point is not “to leave,” but rather “to remain” to proclaim Christ through welcome, compassion, and solidarity. To remain without taking refuge in the comfort of our individualism, to stay and look into the faces of those who arrive from distant and suffering lands, to remain and open our arms and hearts to them, to welcome them as brothers and sisters, to be a presence of consolation and hope for them.

There are so many missionaries, men and women, but also believers and people of good will, working to serve migrants and to promote a new culture of fraternity on the issue of migration, beyond stereotypes and prejudices. But this precious service challenges each of us, to the extent of our abilities. This is the time—as Pope Francis affirmed —for us all to establish ourselves in a “permanent state of mission” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 25).

All this requires at least two major missionary commitments:  missionary cooperation and missionary vocation.

First, I ask you to promote renewed missionary cooperation among the Churches. In communities with an ancient Christian tradition, such as those in the West, the presence of many brothers and sisters from the southern part of the world must be welcomed as an opportunity for exchange that renews the face of the Church and inspires a more open, livelier, and more dynamic Christianity. At the same time, every missionary who departs for other lands is called to inhabit the cultures they encounter with sacred respect, directing all that is good and noble they find toward goodness, and bringing them the prophecy of the Gospel.

I would also like to recall the beauty and importance of missionary vocations. I address myself in particular to the European Church. Today, a new missionary impulse is needed, from lay people, religious, and priests who offer their service in mission lands, from new vocational proposals and experiences capable of awakening this desire, especially among young people.

Dear brothers and sisters, I affectionately send my blessing to the local clergy of the particular Churches, to the missionaries, and to those discerning their vocations. To migrants, I say: you are always welcome. The seas and deserts you have crossed are, in Scripture, “places of salvation,” where God made himself present to save his people. I hope you will encounter this face of God in the missionaries you will meet.

I entrust everyone to the intercession of Mary, her Son’s first missionary, who set out without delay to the hills of Judea, carrying Jesus in her womb and placing herself at the service of Elizabeth. May she sustain us, so that each of us may be a collaborator in Christ’s Kingdom, a Kingdom of love, justice, and peace.