Drawing from the First Letter of St. John, the Pope emphasized the universal call of Christians to evangelization.
Newsroom (29/08/2025, Gaudium Press )On the feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, Pope Leo XIV met with members of the St. Andrew School of Evangelization, a Catholic ministry dedicated to spreading the Gospel, urging all Christians to embrace their mission to proclaim Jesus Christ.
In his address, the Pope highlighted St. John the Baptist as a model for modern evangelists. Quoting the Gospel of John, he noted that the Baptist “bore witness that ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’”
“If we carefully reread the first chapters of the fourth Gospel,” Pope Leo said, “we can discover what is the key of every school of evangelization: to bear witness to what has been contemplated, to the encounter one has had with the God of life.”
A Call to Share the Gospel
Drawing from the First Letter of St. John, the Pope emphasized the universal call of Christians to evangelize: “What we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
He invited members of the St. Andrew School of Evangelization to live out their baptismal mission, encouraging all Christians to share the love and knowledge of Christ with others. “During these days of pilgrimage,” he said, “I invite you in a special way to contemplate the lives of the saints who, like John the Baptist, have been faithful followers of Jesus Christ, manifesting Him in words and works of goodness.”
A Prayer for Guidance
In closing, Pope Leo XIV invoked the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, asking for her protection and guidance for the evangelization mission, that it may inspire renewed hope among the faithful.
The St. Andrew School of Evangelization
The St. Andrew School of Evangelization, named after the Apostle Andrew, who brought his brother Peter to Jesus, unites laypeople and clergy in answering Christ’s call to evangelize “to the ends of the earth.” According to its mission statement, the organization seeks “to follow Andrew’s example in finding people like Peter who can love, serve, and proclaim the Lord better than ourselves.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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