Pope Leo XIV calls for accessible liturgical education beyond academia, revitalized parish groups, and careful preparation of lectors to deepen faithful’s participation.
Newsroom (18/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) In an address delivered Monday in the Consistory Hall, Pope Leo XIV urged diocesan liturgical directors to intensify efforts in forming clergy and laity alike, insisting that authentic implementation of the Second Vatican Council’s liturgical reform remains an unfinished task requiring both fidelity to tradition and creative pastoral energy.
Speaking to participants in a refresher course organized by the Pontifical Liturgical Institute at Sant’Anselmo, the Pope explicitly endorsed the institute’s dual mission: unwavering loyalty to the liturgical tradition and vigorous pursuit of the renewal mandated by Sacrosanctum Concilium. Quoting Benedict XVI’s 2011 remarks to the same Athenaeum, Leo XIV stressed that the institute must continue its service “with enthusiasm” and in “full fidelity” to conciliar teaching and subsequent magisterial guidance.
The Holy Father placed particular emphasis on Pope Francis’ 2022 apostolic letter Desiderio desideravi, citing paragraph 35’s plea to move liturgical formation “beyond the academic environment” and make it accessible so every member of the faithful can grow in theological understanding of the liturgy and its celebration. “In the dioceses and parishes there is a need for such formation,” Leo XIV declared, encouraging the creation of biblical-liturgical courses where they do not yet exist and inviting Sant’Anselmo to assist local Churches in offering systematic Christian and liturgical initiation.
A significant portion of the address focused on the proclamation of Sacred Scripture during Mass. The Pope urged diocesan liturgical offices to ensure that instituted lectors and regular readers possess solid biblical knowledge, clear diction, the ability to sing the responsorial psalm, and skill in composing faithful prayers of the faithful. Such preparation, he said, directly implements the Council’s vision and fosters the growth of the People of God.
Acknowledging progress made since Vatican II, Leo XIV nevertheless insisted “there is still a long way to go.” He exhorted directors never to tire, to enthusiastically resume proven initiatives, and simultaneously to seek “new ways and new methods.”
The Pope Leo outlined core responsibilities of diocesan liturgical offices: ongoing formation of clergy and laity, preparation for instituted ministries, oversight of parish liturgical groups, altar servers, lectors, and cantors, and promotion of “fruitful participation” through dignified, sober, and inclusive celebrations.
He highlighted three specific priorities: greater promotion of the Liturgy of the Hours, respectful integration of popular piety, and careful attention to the celebratory dimension when building or renovating churches.
Turning to parish life, the Pope lamented the decline of many liturgical preparation groups, some of which have “dwindled to the point of disappearing, as if they had lost their identity.” He called for a concerted effort to make this ministry attractive again and to involve competent and willing members. Diocesan directors, he suggested, should offer formation courses for parish priests to establish or strengthen such groups, ensuring broad collaboration rather than delegating everything to the pastor or a handful of individuals.
Concluding on a hopeful note, Pope Leo XIV expressed confidence that the Jubilee Year experience in Rome would renew the participants’ spiritual energies. He imparted his blessing and sent them back to their local Churches with a mandate to serve the liturgy “with renewed impetus.”
The week-long course at Sant’Anselmo, attended by liturgical directors from dioceses worldwide, includes workshops on many of the themes the Pope raised, equipping participants to implement his recommendations upon return home.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican.va
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