Pope Leo XIV ordains 32 priests in St. Peter’s, urging them to reject worldly success, embrace humble service, and foster unity in the Church.
Newsroom, June 27, 2024, Gaudium Press – On June 27, 2025, Pope Leo XIV ordained 32 new priests in St. Peter’s Basilica during a Mass celebrating the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In his homily, the pontiff delivered a heartfelt call to the newly ordained, urging them to reject fleeting worldly models of success and to embrace a life of generous service rooted in faith and charity.
“What I have to say is simple, but I consider it important for your future and for the future of the souls entrusted to your care,” Pope Leo said, addressing the ordinands. He encouraged them to love God and their communities fervently, dedicating themselves to the sacraments, prayer, Eucharistic adoration, and pastoral ministry. “Keep close to your flock, give freely of your time and energy to everyone, without reserve and without partiality, as the pierced side of the crucified Jesus and the example of the saints teach us to do,” he added.
The pope emphasized the Church’s rich history of priestly holiness, citing martyrs, apostles, missionaries, and champions of charity as enduring examples. “Cherish this treasure: Learn their stories, study their lives and work, imitate their virtues, be inspired by their zeal, and invoke their intercession often and insistently,” he urged.
Warning against the allure of “dubious and short-lived” models of success and prestige prevalent in today’s world, Pope Leo called on the priests to emulate the quiet, faithful dedication of those who have served humbly. “Look rather to the solid example and apostolic fruitfulness, frequently hidden and unassuming, of those who, with faith and dedication, have spent their lives in service of the Lord and their brothers and sisters,” he said.
The pontiff also underscored the priests’ role in fostering unity within the Church. Recalling his inaugural Mass, where he expressed his vision for a united Church as a “leaven for a reconciled world,” he renewed this call. “Reconciled with one another, united and transformed by the love that flows abundantly from the Heart of Christ, let us walk together humbly and resolutely in his footsteps,” he said. He encouraged the priests to seek out the lost, forgive the errant, and care for those suffering in body or spirit.
The ordination Mass, held on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, was a moment of spiritual renewal for the Vatican and the global Catholic community. Pope Leo concluded by urging the new priests to bring “the peace of the risen Lord to our world,” grounded in the certainty of being “loved, chosen, and sent by the Father.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
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