Pope Leo XIV urges communities to follow the Holy Family’s example of presence, care, and service in fostering hospitality among youth and society.
Newsroom (12/03/2026 Gaudium Press) In a message steeped in reflection and pastoral warmth, Pope Leo XIV called on Christians to look toward the Holy Family of Nazareth as a living model of welcome, presence, and care. Addressing participants of the fourth edition of the “Cathedra of Hospitality” in Sacrofano, north of Rome, the Holy Father encouraged communities to become “educators in hospitality,” rediscovering their vocation to welcome others and foster communion.
The event—organized by faith-based movements, Third Sector organizations, and Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University—serves as a platform for dialogue on issues shaping the modern Church. This year’s theme, “Youth and the Church: Hospitality that fosters belonging,” directed attention to the vital role young people play in shaping the Christian community’s spirit of openness and renewal.
The Grace of Encounter
Pope Leo XIV centered his remarks on the transformative power of encounter. Authentic hospitality, he said, springs from relationships touched by grace—moments that awaken the sense of communion among people. Amid today’s cultural shifts, he reminded listeners that youth are “the living and generative present” of the Church, not merely its future.
“Welcoming young people,” the Pope urged, “means listening to their voices, meeting their gaze, and recognizing the Spirit’s action in their lives.” In doing so, the Church learns new expressions of faith and care that speak to contemporary hearts.
Presence and Care: The Heart of Hospitality
Diving deeper into the theme, Pope Leo highlighted two guiding words—presence and care. Every person, he observed, grows within the web of family, school, and community—spaces that shape identity through shared experience and guidance.
“To be present in the lives of others,” he reflected, “is to share time, experience, and meaning—offering stable reference points where others can recognize themselves and grow.” In this, the Holy Father pointed to the Holy Family as the archetype of such presence, showing that true community life is built on constancy and service.
The story of Mary and Joseph’s anxious search for the young Jesus in the Temple, he noted, reveals that presence is never automatic but a fruit of patient seeking. When believers feel distant from Christ, the Pope said, “it is not He who has been lost, but we who have moved away.” Rediscovering Him requires courage—to seek, to hope, and to encounter God beyond our expectations.
St. Joseph: Guardian and Caregiver
Drawing on the example of St. Joseph, Pope Leo illuminated the second key to hospitality: care. In Joseph, the Church sees the embodiment of attentive guardianship and responsible love. “To care,” he said, “means to stand beside the other with attention, to respect their choices, and to take responsibility for them.”
This divine care, mirrored in human relationships, defines the essence of true welcome. Pope Leo underscored that “one does not safeguard without being present, and one is not truly present without assuming responsibility for the other.”
Path to Holiness Through Hospitality
Finally, the Pope encouraged participants to view presence and care as “two lamps” guiding the journey toward holiness. He praised the quiet perseverance of those who dedicate themselves to creating spaces of belonging and fraternity, urging them to continue “building environments that promote goodness in the Christian community and in society at large.”
Pope Leo XIV’s words, rooted in the everyday example of the Holy Family, marked not just a call for renewed hospitality but a vision for a Church that reflects the tenderness, courage, and responsibility found in Nazareth—a home where every stranger finds welcome and every heart learns to care.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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