Pope Leo XIV addressed the new bishops and those working in mission territories in the Synod Hall in Rome with a clear and profound message: the episcopal ministry is not to exercise power, but to serve.

The address began with a cordial welcome from the Holy Father, who thanked the various Vatican dicasteries for organizing the course of formation and prayer that these bishops had experienced together. He also emphasized that what they had received was not an honor for their own benefit, but a call to serve the cause of the Gospel.

The Pope recalled that the bishop was chosen to be sent as an apostle of the Lord and a servant of the faith of the people. This is not a role of external authority, but rather a committed identity: inner freedom, poverty of spirit, and willingness to serve are born of love itself, in following Jesus who “became poor to make us rich.”

He also quoted Saint Augustine, who teaches that “he who presides over the people must understand that he is the servant of many,” and warns against the temptation to greatness that could arise among the apostles. Jesus himself intervened: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant; and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all.”

Leo XIV emphasized the need to always walk in humility and prayer, to be servants of the people to whom we have been sent. To be a sign of God’s closeness: with our open hands that caress and comfort; with our words that anoint the world with the Gospel, not with ourselves; with our hearts that bear the sorrows and joys of others.

But service is not enough to have good intentions: it must be translated into a concrete apostolic style. In pastoral governance, in dedication to proclaiming the Gospel, in creativity for different contexts, especially in a world where many feel that faith is in crisis, that their belonging and ecclesial practice have weakened. Many are seeking new spirituality, different ways of expressing it.

The Pope also recalled the great common concerns: wars, violence, the suffering of the poor, the ethical challenges of life and liberty, the yearning for justice and fraternity. In the midst of these realities, bishops must be attentive pastors, walking alongside the people, sharing their questions, anxieties, and hopes.

In conclusion, Leo XIV offered a prayer: he asked that these pastors never lack the breath of the Holy Spirit, and that the joy of episcopal ordination—like a sweet aroma—may spread even to those whom they will serve.

Full text:

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV
TO THE BISHOPS ORDAINED IN THE LAST YEAR

Synod Hall
Thursday, September 11, 2025

Good morning. Let’s start by singing  Veni Creator . I think everyone has a copy. I hope someone has a better voice than mine this morning… Let’s start a cappella.
[Singing “Veni Creator”]

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!

“At the Service of the Church”! Good morning to all of you. I’ll begin with some prepared remarks in Italian, and then perhaps move on to English to give the translators a break. Afterward, we’ll have time for discussion. I’d be very happy to hear from as many of you as possible, perhaps also have the opportunity for you to ask some questions, and in that way, get to know each other a little better.

We have 200 bishops, just one Pope, and not much time, so we’ll make the most of it. We’ll have a break around 11 a.m. or work toward finishing around that time, and then the second part of the morning will be for an individual opportunity to greet each other, take a nice photo—which you can hang somewhere in the bishop’s house—and at least be able to say hello to each other. That will be the course of the morning. Feel free to start thinking about questions you have or things you’d like to share.

First, some prepared words, in Italian.

Dear brothers in the episcopate:

I welcome you and greet you with great joy, almost at the end of these days of formation and prayer that you have experienced together here in Rome. I thank the Dicastery for Bishops—I had expected to arrive at this course also dressed in black…—the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, and the Dicastery for Evangelization, in the person of the Prefect, the Secretaries, and their collaborators, who have taken care of the preparation and organization of this course.

Likewise, I wish to remind you, first, of something as simple as it is not obvious: the gift you have received is not for yourselves, but to serve the cause of the Gospel. You have been chosen and called to be sent forth, as apostles of the Lord and as servants of the faith. And it is precisely on this that I would like to dwell briefly, before engaging you in a fraternal dialogue: the Bishop is a servant; the Bishop is called to serve the faith of the people.

This is something that touches our identity. Later, I will speak a little about some elements and characteristics of this identity. Perhaps some of you are still wondering: why was I chosen? At least I am. Service is not an external characteristic or a way of fulfilling one’s role. On the contrary, those whom Jesus calls as disciples and proclaimers of the Gospel, particularly the Twelve, are asked to have interior freedom, poverty of spirit, and a willingness to serve born of love, to embody the same choice Jesus made, who made himself poor to make us rich (cf. 2 Cor 8:9). He has revealed to us God’s way of life, which is not revealed to us in power, but in the love of a Father who calls us to communion with Him.

Regarding the ordination of the Bishop, Augustine states: “First of all, he who presides over the people must understand that he is the servant of many” (Discourse 340/A, 1). At the same time, he recalls that the Apostles had begun to feel “a certain yearning for greatness” (ibid.), to which Jesus had to intervene as a doctor to heal them. Let us recall, in fact, the Lord’s warning when he saw the group of the Twelve arguing about who was the greatest: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be slave of all” (Mk 10:43-44). Pope Francis often said: the only authority we have is service, and humble service! It is truly important that we meditate and try to live these words.

I ask you, therefore, to be always vigilant and walk in humility and prayer, to become servants of the people to whom the Lord sends you. This service—Pope Francis recalled on such an occasion—is expressed in being a sign of God’s closeness: “Closeness to the people entrusted to us is not an opportunistic strategy, but our essential condition. Jesus loves to draw close to his brothers and sisters through us, through our open hands that caress and console; through our words, spoken to anoint the world with the Gospel and not with ourselves; through our hearts, which bear the anxieties and joys of our brothers and sisters” (Address to the Bishops Participating in the Formation Course, September 12, 2019).

At the same time, today we must ask ourselves what it means to be servants of the faith of the people. Important and necessary as this may be, it is not enough to simply be aware that our ministry is rooted in the spirit of service, in the image of Christ. Indeed, it must also be expressed in the style of the apostolate, in the various forms of pastoral care and governance, in the desire to proclaim, in such diverse and creative ways according to the specific situations we must face.

The crisis of faith and its transmission, together with the difficulties surrounding ecclesial belonging and practice, invite us to rediscover the passion and courage for a new proclamation of the Gospel. At the same time, many people who seem far from the faith often return to the doors of the Church or open themselves to a new search for spirituality, which sometimes finds no adequate language or form in the usual pastoral proposals. We must not forget, moreover, the other challenges, of a more cultural and social nature, that concern us all and that particularly affect certain territories: the drama of war and violence, the suffering of the poor, the aspiration of so many for a more fraternal and supportive world, the ethical challenges that challenge us about the value of life and freedom—and the list could certainly be longer.

In this context, the Church sends them as caring, attentive pastors who know how to share the journey, the questions, the anxieties, and the hopes of the people; pastors who desire to be guides, fathers, and brothers to priests and to their sisters and brothers in the faith.

Dearest ones, I pray for you, that the breath of the Spirit may never be lacking to you, and that the joy of your Ordination, like a sweet perfume, may also spread to those you will serve. Thank you!