Pope: Spread the joy of the encounter with Jesus

In a message to the Networks of Indigenous Peoples and the Network of Indian Theology Theologians, Pope Leo XIV encourages a rediscovery of the Jubilee Year as a time of grace, forgiveness, and shared hope.

Pope Leo XIV has sent a message to the Networks of Indigenous Peoples and the Network of Indian Theology Theologians, as they celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope.

File photo: Pope Leo XIV (@Vatican Media)

In the text, published on Thursday, October 16, the Pope recalls the desire of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who, in planning the Jubilee events, &ldquowanted to highlight the universality of the Church, manifested in many vocations, ages, and life situations: families, children, teenagers, young people, the elderly, ordained ministers and laypeople, servants in the Church and society.&rdquo

He explained that &ldquowhen we pass through the Holy Door, more than performing a symbolic gesture by entering a beautiful temple, what we truly seek is to enter, through faith, into the very source of divine love - the open side of the Crucified One&rdquo.

&ldquoIt is in this faith that we are a people of brothers, one in the One (cf. St. Augustine, Commentary on Psalm 127, 4). It is from that Truth that we must reread our history and our present reality, to face the future with the hope to which the Holy Year calls us, despite our labors and tribulations&rdquo.

Reconciliation with History

He also acknowledged that &ldquothe long history of evangelization experienced by our Indigenous Peoples is full of both light and shadow.&rdquo Citing St. Augustine, he emphasized that even when the messengers of the Gospel were not always consistent with its message, &ldquoGod Himself works grace.&rdquo Thus, the Jubilee is a favorable time &ldquoto forgive our brothers from the heart&rdquo (cf. Mt 18:35), to reconcile with one&rsquos own history, and to give thanks for God&rsquos mercy.

Pope Leo XIV emphasized that it is only through trustful surrender to divine power that peoples can truly become the People of God. He recalled that the Lord &ldquohas planted the seeds of the Word in all cultures&rdquo and causes them to flourish in new ways. In this context, he quoted St. John Paul II:

&ldquoThe power of the Gospel is transforming and regenerative everywhere. When it penetrates a culture, catechesis would be impossible if the Gospel had to change upon contact with cultures&rdquo.

A Dialogue That Enriches

The Pope affirmed that dialogue and encounter make it possible to discover &ldquothe abundant life Christ offers to all peoples.&rdquo This life, he noted, is manifested in human fragility, &ldquomarked by original sin,&rdquo and in the grace of Christ, &ldquowho shed every last drop of His blood so that we might have life in abundance&rdquo.

Leo XIV expressed gratitude for the contribution of Indigenous communities and Indian Theology to ecclesial reflection, highlighting that their worldview &ldquoresonates with a deep longing for communion with the Creator and creation&rdquo - a message the Church must embrace and accompany with discernment.

Gospel Boldness and Mission

Before concluding, the Pope evoked a term cherished by his predecessor Francis: parrhesia - that evangelical boldness which drives us to &ldquogo out of ourselves to proclaim the Gospel without fear and with freedom of heart.

He affirmed that, in the concert of nations, Indigenous Peoples must present with courage and freedom their own human, cultural, and Christian richness. The Church, he added, &ldquois enriched by their unique voices, which have an irreplaceable place in the magnificent choir where all proclaim: Eternal Lord God, joyfully we sing to You, to You our praise.&rdquo

Mary, Star of Evangelization

Finally, Leo XIV entrusted the work of the networks to Our Lady of Guadalupe, &ldquoStar of Evangelization,&rdquo who &ldquoshowed how Jesus Christ made two peoples one, breaking down the wall of hostility that divided them&rdquo.

The message concludes with a call to renew the missionary mandate:

&ldquoGo, and make disciples of all nations&rdquo, spreading &ldquothe joy that springs from encountering His Divine Heart.&rdquo

Sebastián Sansón Ferrari
Source: vaticannews.va/en