Pope Francis met this morning with the participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for the Clergy, focused on three crucial aspects: the ongoing formation of priests, the promotion of vocations, and the ministry of the permanent diaconate. In his speech, the Pope highlighted the importance of priests living in a network of fraternal relationships, stressing that “the path is not done alone.” He expressed his gratitude to the priests and deacons for their generosity and spirit of faith, despite the pastoral and spiritual challenges.

Francis mentioned that the training received in the seminary is not enough, especially in a constantly changing world. He urged consolidating and developing this formation to mature both humanly and spiritually, and to find effective languages ​​for evangelization. He emphasized the loneliness that many priests experience and the importance of a network of fraternal relationships as a crucial part of ongoing formation.

He also addressed the decline in vocations, describing it as one of the great challenges for the People of God, and encouraged us not to resign ourselves to this problem. Likewise, he encouraged participants to remain attentive to the signs of the Spirit and to reactivate the radical offer of life for young people.

Finally, the Pope invited people to contribute to the reflection on the permanent diaconate, particularly on its specific identity and its diakonia of charity and service to the poor. He encouraged the dicastery to accompany these reflections and to work tirelessly so that the people of God have pastors according to the heart of Christ, accompanied by Mary, “model of every vocation.”

In short, the audience with the Pope was an opportunity to reflect on these key issues and to receive encouragement and guidance from him in the task of training and supporting priests and deacons in service to the Church and the world.