Pope Leo XIV presided over the Rome Diocesan Assembly at St. John Lateran Basilica on Friday, September 18, to officially open the new pastoral year. During the meeting, the Pope announced his approval of a diocesan inquiry into the life, virtues, and reputation for holiness of Luigi Di Liegro, the founder and first director of Caritas Roma.
Addressing the assembly, the Pope discouraged the centralization of parish life around priests. He stated that a community depending entirely on a priest is fragile and urged clergy to foster communion by recognizing the charisms of others and enabling laypeople to share responsibility. He introduced a method called pastoral verification, which asks communities to systematically evaluate their activities to see what produces fruit and why certain people remain on the margins.
The Pope also instructed the diocese to focus its mission on people rather than programs. He suggested that pastoral work should not ask what to do, but rather whom to find and how to reach them. He described the city of Rome not as an indifferent backdrop, but as a place of mission to inhabit and serve.
Cardinal Baldo Reina, the Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, welcomed the Pope and noted that the assembly included representatives from parish communities and various participatory organizations.
SourcesL'Osservatore RomanoVatican NewsAgência EcclesiaACI StampaAlfa y Omega
