Pope Leo XIV addressed hundreds of diocesan leaders, including clergy and laity representing the 334 parishes across the Diocese of Rome, during a diocesan assembly held on September 18, 2026, at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. The gathering marked the opening of the Diocese of Rome’s new pastoral year, covering a diocese spanning 340 square miles.
Pope Leo XIV Calls Diocese of Rome to Pastoral Evaluation
Before speaking, the Pope listened to a young woman, a couple, and a member of the diocese’s Caritas team as they shared the joys and challenges of their lives and work. Expressing gratitude for the community’s faith and service, Pope Leo XIV stated, The good doesn’t make any noise; the Lord knows it, and today I, too, wish to acknowledge it.
The Pontiff emphasized that The Church does not exist for itself, but to lead every person to an encounter with the Lord,
as reported by Infovaticana. Rather than introducing a new pastoral program, the Pope proposed a shared method of pastoral evaluation and verification grounded in listening, discernment, and conversion. He noted that the diocese’s past work on identifying spiritual illnesses had already taught the community how to recognize what in its ecclesial life requires healing, correction, or transformation.
Method of Verification and ‘Do Less and Do It Better’
Rather than adding heavy new burdens, Pope Leo XIV told attendees that the evaluation process does not ask you to do more; on the contrary, it gives you permission to do less — and to do it better,
according to OSV News. He cautioned against multiplying activities to the point where communities lose their evangelical center. Instead, pastoral action should begin by questioning what initiatives truly lead people to Christ and connect with their concrete lives.
The evaluation method requires seeking the truth by reviewing what has borne fruit, identifying what has failed, and understanding the reasons behind those outcomes together with the entire community. The Pope urged leaders to involve the broader community and to listen to individuals who do not regularly participate in church life to gain an outside perspective. Furthermore, he assured the assembly that We are not starting from scratch, and nothing we have experienced should be set aside.
Priorities for Parish Communities and Clergy
As detailed by Vaticannews, the Pope identified three principal areas for the diocese’s examination alongside a cross-cutting concern for the formation of the People of God. One key focus is inhabiting and serving the city of Rome, viewing the city not merely as a backdrop but as the primary place of mission where the Church shares local expectations, fragilities, and questions.
Addressing parish life, the Pope stressed that individuals within Church communities should never remain anonymous or invisible, but should be seen, known, and called by name, comparing the experience to Mary Magdalene recognizing Jesus when called by name. He also encouraged priests to listen before responding and to recognize the charisms of lay people, noting that Presiding does not mean doing everything,
but rather generating communion. He concluded by encouraging Rome’s Prefectures to foster genuine priestly fraternity and recalled the example of Don Luigi Di Liegro, the beloved Roman priest who founded the city’s Diocesan Caritas.
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