Pope Leo XIV urges Cardinals to embrace a Christ-centered missionary spirit rooted in Evangelii Gaudium’s call to conversion and witness.
Newsroom (16/04/2026 Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV has written to members of the Sacred College of Cardinals, inviting them to deepen their reflection on the missionary identity of the Church and the transmission of faith — themes drawn from Pope Francis’s landmark 2013 exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”). His letter, dated April 12 and published today by the Vatican, continues the line of thought opened during the extraordinary Consistory held in January.
The letter, sent during the Easter season, conveys both gratitude and pastoral urgency. “I greatly appreciate the work carried out in the groups,” the Pope wrote, praising the “free, concrete and spiritually fruitful exchanges” among the Cardinals gathered earlier this year. He stressed that these discussions provide “a resource of lasting value,” signaling that the upcoming Consistory on June 26–27 will build further upon them.
Revisiting Evangelii Gaudium
At the January 7–8 Consistory, participants were invited to vote by table on two of four proposed topics — Synodality and Evangelii Gaudium — setting the stage for small-group dialogues modeled on the Synod on Synodality format. In these sessions, nine tables composed of voting Cardinals and eleven of non-voting Cardinals and Curia officials reflected on how the Church could revitalise its mission in a rapidly changing world.
Pope Leo XIV now turns explicitly to those reflections. He describes Evangelii Gaudium as a “breath of fresh air,” a document that “refocuses everything on the kerygma as the heart of our Christian and ecclesial identity.” Rather than prompting quick institutional reform, he suggests, the exhortation invites a long-term process of “pastoral and missionary conversion.”
A Church Moved by Encounter
The Pope highlights how this vision challenges believers “at every level.” On a personal scale, it calls the baptized to renew their faith through a lived encounter with Christ — “moving from a faith merely received to a faith truly lived and experienced.” In practice, this means prioritizing prayer, authentic witness, and the coherence between belief and daily action.
At the community level, Leo XIV calls for a transition “from a pastoral approach of maintenance to one of mission.” He envisions welcoming parishes capable of communication that is accessible, relational, and healing. Diocesan leaders, the letter insists, must be bold in their missionary initiatives, avoiding “organizational excesses” that stifle spiritual creativity.
This renewal, the Pope explains, leads to a “profoundly unified understanding of mission,” one grounded in encounter rather than expansion. It must balance explicit proclamation, dialog, and service, rejecting both proselytism and institutional self-preservation. Even when in the minority, the Church, he writes, should remain “a small flock bringing hope to all,” living not for its own survival but “to communicate the love with which God loves the world.”
Toward Concrete Renewal
Among several proposals drawn from the Cardinals’ contributions, Leo XIV identifies three areas for continued reflection and action:
A reassessment of how Evangelii Gaudium has been implemented across dioceses and what remains unrealized.
Greater emphasis on apostolic and pastoral visits as “opportunities for proclamation and growth in the quality of relationships.”
A review of ecclesial communication — including that of the Holy See — through “a more explicitly missionary perspective.”
His letter was released one day after the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, announced plans for another extraordinary Consistory scheduled for late June, just before the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. This forthcoming meeting is expected to deepen the Church’s ongoing dialogue on synodality, mission, and the reform of the Curia.
As Easter unfolds, Pope Leo XIV’s message resonates as both a spiritual exhortation and a roadmap for renewal. In his closing words, he extends his “warmest Easter greetings” and expresses “fraternal esteem in Christ,” reminding the Church’s leaders that the heart of evangelization lies not in structure, but in encounter.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Diane Montagna Substack
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