Pope to French Bishops: Church bears prophetic authority in public square

Pope Leo XIV met with the Bishops of France on Sunday in Lourdes, just a short distance from where Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.

Thanking them for placing their ministry under the Virgin Mary’s protection, he said there is “no better way to come to Jesus than through Mary.”

Recalling France’s deep historical devotion to Our Lady, Pope Leo said the French people bear a living faith, which the Bishops must help grow and deepen.

He encouraged them to show courage and missionary creativity, despite today’s challenges and human errors.

“Always have the courage to acknowledge failings with a love of the truth and a determination to bind up wounds with the charity of the Good Shepherd,” he said.

The Church has contributed greatly to building French society, noted Pope Leo, adding that the Church’s voice has “every right to be heard in the public square.”

“By its nature, it possesses a prophetic authority,” he said. “Even if it is not always understood, her voice is nonetheless needed.”

The French Church lives under a particular form of secularity (laïcité), which endured a turbulent history but now enjoys a more peaceful and hard-won balance, which is “gradually being called into question.”

“I urge you to remain vigilant in defending the freedom and rights of the Church to evangelize, to educate about true freedom, and to worship publicly, so that charity may be exercised visibly in the name of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Pope Leo joined the late Pope Francis in urging French Catholics to “reclaim their heritage of faith,” which finds expression in awareness of the inalienable worth of the human person and the flourishing of the arts.

As France and the world faces polarization, a decline in fraternity, and a rise in violence, the Church must remain a prophetic sign of renewal, so that society may hear the hope-filled message of the Gospel.

He encouraged the Bishops to show young people the “sure way” of the Gospel in doctrinal clarity and to work with them for all that is “beautiful, true, and good.”

“To renew hope and give fresh impetus to the Church’s mission in France, which I earnestly desire, there is only one ‘roadmap,’ which is always the same: to make Jesus Christ known and loved, authentically, passionately, again and again,” he said.

Pope Leo then pointed to several major challenges facing the Church in France, including Catholic education, which he said must always welcome all people while offering them an opportunity to encounter Christ.

He thanked the Bishops of France for taking “courageous measures” to confront the “painful scourge of abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy or in an ecclesial context.”

“You must continue along the path you have begun, maintaining the greatest vigilance,” he said. “At the same time, your clergy need to be supported and encouraged.”

Pope Leo said priests must be “eagerly wanted, welcomed, and loved” and that their identity as men configured to Christ should be understood by the faithful.

He noted the decline in religious vocations, especially to contemplative life, and lamented the closure of “ancient and renowned monastic communities,” which have left a deep impact on France.