Pope Leo’s address to the general assembly of The Pontifical Mission Societies
Clementine Hall – Monday, 1st June 2026
“This year’s World Mission Sunday theme, “One in Christ, United in Mission,”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you.
Your Eminence,
Your Excellencies,
Dear General Secretaries and National Directors,
It is with great joy and gratitude that I greet all of you gathered in Rome for your annual General Assembly this year, which has been truly rich in missionary milestones.
This year marks the centennial of my predecessor Pope Pius XI establishing the penultimate Sunday of October as World Mission Sunday at the request of the Pontifical Society of the Propagation of the Faith.
For one hundred years, this day has been set apart for prayer, reflection, and contributions to the Church’s evangelization mission, especially in areas where the proclamation of the Gospel is in its infancy and the Church is young.
On this day, every Catholic community is invited to pray and offer spiritual and material sacrifices for missionary efforts in areas of initial evangelization and to support young churches.
I am happy to express my gratitude to you and to everyone who works with you throughout the world for all your efforts in promoting World Mission Sunday in every diocese of the universal Church.
If I may add, one purpose of World Mission Sunday is to remind members of established churches of the importance of joining the missionary spirit of the entire Church.
Thanks to the funds raised on World Mission Sunday, the Pontifical Society of the Propagation of the Faith can provide necessary assistance to over 1,130 ecclesiastical circumscriptions that depend on the Dicastery for Evangelization’s Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches.
This assistance helps them establish the necessary ecclesiastical infrastructure and supports diverse missionary initiatives.
The Society also supports the administration of five colleges in Rome that provide ongoing formation for priests and consecrated women and men.
These individuals come to the Eternal City to study and then return to their local churches, where they become valuable resources.
These and many other missionary initiatives are possible thanks to the generosity of the faithful on World Mission Sunday.
This year also marks the 110th anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical Missionary Union by Blessed Paolo Manna.
Pope Pius XII declared it Pontifical, and Saint Paul VI described it as the “soul” of the other Pontifical Mission Societies.
I encourage everyone to participate in its mission of fostering an ever more fervent missionary spirituality and deeper commitment to the Church’s universal mission of evangelization in this new missionary age.
It is also providential that the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, a renowned National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States of America, will be beatified on September 24 this year in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Archbishop Sheen was a beacon of faith, hope, and love who illuminated the airwaves for decades.
I am personally a witness to his evangelization from my own childhood.
His broadcasts brought hope to millions through the Gospel, and his initiatives resulted in significant spiritual and material aid for churches in areas of first evangelization.
May our new blessed one be an example for all National and Diocesan Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies worldwide.
In a world increasingly marked by division, war, and conflict among nations and peoples, the four Pontifical Mission Societies—entrusted to the Dicastery for Evangelization’s Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches—render an invaluable service to the Church’s mission of proclaiming Christ as the Prince of Peace and the incarnate revelation of divine love for humanity.
The Pontifical Mission Society of the Holy Childhood carries out a particularly precious mission in this regard by bringing the light of faith and the consolation of Christian charity to children throughout the world, especially in regions afflicted by hatred and violence.
The Pontifical Mission Society of Saint Peter the Apostle is equally important because it promotes and sustains the formation of indigenous clergy and consecrated religious in territories of first evangelization.
Without the assistance of this society, many seminarians and novices would lack the necessary means for their human, spiritual, and pastoral formation.
This year’s World Mission Sunday theme, “One in Christ, United in Mission,” highlights the unity of believers and marks the celebration’s 100th anniversary.
The theme invites all members of the Church to deeper communion with Christ and to fuller participation in his divine mission of love.
The theme reflects the Lord’s profound desire expressed in his prayer to the Father before his Passion (cf. John 17:20-21, 26).
The theme calls for missionary renewal in the Church in the years ahead.
Therefore, I encourage you to keep this teaching in mind. Live an authentic spirituality of missionary unity and communion centered on Christ. Promote it through your activities among the faithful.
My dear brothers and sisters,
The Second Vatican Council insisted that “the Church on earth is by her very nature missionary, since, according to the plan of the Father, she has her origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Ad Gentes, 2).
Keeping this in mind, I invite you to recognize the importance of embracing an ongoing missionary conversion.
Together, we must find ways to be a missionary church and heal our world, which is filled with tensions, conflicts, and wars. The work of the Pontifical Mission Societies is essential in this important task.
Let us therefore continue our missionary journey with joy and renewed zeal.
In all that we do for evangelization, may we always place Jesus Christ at the center and embrace the beautiful Gospel principle expressed by John the Baptist:
“He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).
I entrust all of you, your collaborators, benefactors, and all who share in this vital missionary work to the maternal intercession of Mary, Queen of Missions, and all the missionary saints. I cordially impart my apostolic blessing. Thank you.
Let us pray together as Jesus taught us: “Our Father…”
