Priests, pastoral leaders have permission to do less, do it better, pope says

Pope Leo XIV told clergy and lay leaders during a diocesan assembly on September 18 that they have permission to do less in order to do their work better. Speaking at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the pope addressed hundreds of leaders representing 334 parishes within the Diocese of Rome.

The pope said that the process of discernment and pastoral evaluation is not intended to increase workloads. Instead, he suggested that evaluating local church activities helps leaders recognize what needs to be healed, corrected, or transformed. He referred to a diocesan report on spiritual illnesses that was delivered to Pope Francis in 2018.

Pope Leo asked leaders to use their findings to begin a multiyear process. He stated this process should lead to pastoral actions that are more creative and responsive to the current needs and mission of people in Rome. During the assembly, the pope also listened to accounts of the joys and challenges faced by a young woman, a couple, and a member of the diocesan Caritas team.