During a brief but deeply symbolic visit to Assisi on Nov. 20, Pope Leo XIV closed the 81st General Assembly of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) with a clear and urgent message: the Church must return to Christ as its center and source of pastoral renewal.
Speaking inside the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, the Pope told the bishops that amid the pressures and fragmentation of modern life, the Church’s primary task is unchanged. “To look to Jesus is the first thing to which we also are called,” he said, reminding them that “the reason for our being here, in fact, is faith in Him, crucified and risen,” according to Vatican News.
The four-day assembly, held Nov. 17–20, focused on pastoral priorities, safeguarding, and the future of Catholic education in Italy. The bishops also continued their reflection on insights emerging from the recently completed national Synodal Path, with final pastoral guidelines expected in May 2026.
During his address, Pope Leo highlighted the spiritual significance of being in Assisi, calling it a place rich with the message of “faith, fraternity, and peace… of which the world has urgent need,” according to Vatican News. He prayed that the example of St. Francis would strengthen the bishops in making “choices inspired by an authentic faith.”
The Pope warned that today’s society is marked by “great fragmentation” both nationally and internationally, describing a world where “messages and languages tuned to hostility and violence often spread,” and where “solitude consumes hope,” according to the report. Yet he insisted that Christians are still called to be “artisans of friendship, of fraternity, of authentic relationships” capable of healing divisions and fostering peace.
He urged the bishops to renew their commitment to the foundations of the faith, especially the proclamation of the kerygma, the Gospel’s central message. Returning to what he emphasized earlier this year, Pope Leo said that “we have more than ever the need to place Jesus Christ at the center and, on the road indicated by Evangelii gaudium, to help people to live a personal relationship with Him, to discover the joy of the Gospel,” according to Vatican News.
Turning to the pastoral needs of the Italian Church, the Pope encouraged the bishops to ensure their communities remain close to those who struggle most. “Continue to stay close to families, to young people, to the elderly, to those who live in solitude. Continue to commit yourselves in the care of the poor,” he said.
The Holy Father also stressed that the Church must be unwavering in its protection of minors and vulnerable adults. Welcoming victims and listening to their suffering, he said, is “the authentic trait of a Church that, in community conversion, knows how to recognize wounds and commits itself to soothe them,” according to the report.
On the subject of synodality, Pope Leo reaffirmed that the Church’s journey is one of walking together with Christ and with all humanity. He encouraged the bishops to foster “a collegial Church” that grows through shared responsibility and participation. In their dioceses, he said, communities should become more open, welcoming, and engaged in “mutual co-responsibility in favor of the proclamation of the Gospel,” according to Vatican News.
The Pope’s trip concluded at the nearby stadium of Santa Maria degli Angeli, where he departed by helicopter for Montefalco to celebrate Mass with Augustinian nuns before returning to Rome.
Throughout his address, Pope Leo presented a vision of a Church rooted firmly in Christ, courageous in witnessing peace, and attentive to the suffering of modern society. As the Italian bishops continue their synodal discernment, his message served as a reminder that true renewal begins not with strategies, but with turning one’s gaze to the face of Jesus.
