Pope Leo XIV marks 60th anniversary of Dei Verbum, calling on Catholic Biblical Federation to ensure Scripture reaches new generations in digital and unfamiliar cultural spaces.
Newsroom (17/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a keenly anticipated address on Monday morning, Pope Leo XIV told members of the Catholic Biblical Federation that the Church’s lifeblood is not self-generated but drawn continually from the Gospel, urging them to renew their commitment to placing Sacred Scripture at the heart of all pastoral activity as the sixtieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, is celebrated this year.
Speaking in the Hall of Popes to the Federation’s plenary assembly, the Pope invoked the closing words of Dei Verbum – a quotation of St Paul’s plea that “the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified” (2 Thess 3:1) – as the guiding horizon for the Church’s biblical apostolate.
“The teaching of Dei Verbum is unequivocal,” Pope Leo XIV declared. “We are called ‘to hear the Word of God with reverence and to proclaim it with faith’, and ‘easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful’.”
Echoing the Federation’s own constitution, which describes its mission as making the Word of God “a dynamic source of inspiration for all areas of the life and mission of the Church in today’s world,” the Pontiff insisted that hearing and proclaiming Scripture are “properly ecclesial acts”: the Bride listening in love to the voice of the Bridegroom.
He expressed gratitude for the Federation’s work in promoting accurate translations, lectio divina, and initiatives that encourage frequent reading of the Bible, yet challenged the assembly to confront the realities of the present moment.
“Today, new generations inhabit new digital environments where the Word of God is easily overshadowed,” he said. “New communities often find themselves in cultural spaces where the Gospel is unfamiliar or distorted by particular interests.”
In light of these shifts, Pope Leo XIV posed two pointed questions to the gathered biblical scholars, translators, and pastoral workers: What does “easy access to Sacred Scripture” mean in our time? How can the Church facilitate authentic encounter with God’s Word for those who have never heard it or whose cultures remain untouched by the Gospel?
The Pope expressed hope that these questions would spark “new forms of biblical outreach” capable of opening pathways to Scripture so that it may “take root in people’s hearts and lead all to live in his grace.”
Quoting St Paul’s description of the apostles as “living letters… written not in ink but by the Spirit of the living God” (2 Cor 3:1-6), he urged the Federation to bear witness to the primacy of God’s Word amid the cacophony of contemporary voices.
Concluding his address, Pope Leo XIV entrusted the Federation’s work to the Blessed Virgin Mary, “the womb through which the Word became flesh,” and imparted his Apostolic Blessing on the members, their collaborators, and their loved ones.
The plenary assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation, which brings together representatives from more than 90 countries, continues this week with discussions on translation projects, digital evangelization, and biblical formation in missionary contexts.
- Raju Hasmukh
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