Addressing participants at the international meeting “Happy Sacerdoti ‘I HAC Chiamato Amici’ (Jn 15:15),” promoted by the Dicastery for the Clergy, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the profound joy and friendship that form the foundation of the priestly vocation.

Opening his address with the Sign of the Cross, the Holy Father greeted priests, formators, seminarians, and vocational animators from around the world, thanking Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik and the Dicastery staff for their dedicated work. The Pope highlighted that being a priest is not only a ministry but a friendship with Christ, rooted deeply in prayer, the Word, and the sacraments.

“The priest is a friend of the Lord,” Pope Leo said, underscoring that this personal relationship is the spiritual source of celibacy, ministry, and the strength to persevere through trials. He outlined three key implications for priestly formation: it must be a relational journey, foster fraternity among priests and bishops, and involve the whole Church community in nurturing future priests.

Acknowledging challenges to priestly life and vocations today, the Pope encouraged courage and creativity in youth ministry to cultivate new calls to serve. He invoked the upcoming Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as the source of grace and transformation for priests worldwide.

Referencing Pope Francis’ encyclical Dilexit nos, Leo XIV urged priests to balance mysticism and social commitment, silence and proclamation, meeting the modern world’s challenges with missionary zeal. “When one believes, one sees: the minister’s happiness reflects his encounter with Christ,” he said.

The Pope warmly thanked all present for their dedication, especially those serving in difficult or dangerous contexts, and called on priests to renew their commitment to joyful apostolic service. He closed with a call for closeness—to God, to bishops, and to one another—emphasizing fraternity as essential in the shared mission.

In a lively moment, Pope Leo invited priests from different continents to greet each other, concluding with a shared prayer and blessing. “We always count on God’s grace, closeness on my part, and together we can truly be this voice in the world,” he said.

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER LEONE XIV TO THE PARTICIPANTS AT THE INTERNATIONAL MEETING HAPPY SACERDOTI ‘I HAC CHIAMATO AMICI’ (Jn 15,15) PROMOTED FROM THE DICASTERO FOR THE CLERO

“Let us begin with the Sign of the Cross, because we are all here because Christ who died and rose again, gave us life and called us to serve. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you!

[Greetings of Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy]

Dear brothers in the priesthood, queridos hermanos, dear brothers priests,

Dear formators, seminarians, vocational animators, friends in the Lord!

It is a great joy for me to be here with you today. In the heart of the Holy Year, together we want to witness that it is possible to be happy priests, because Christ has called us, Christ has made us his friends (cf. Jn 15:15): it is a grace that we want to receive with gratitude and responsibility.

I would like to thank Cardinal Lazzaro and all the collaborators of the Dicastery for the Clergy for their generous and competent service: a vast and precious work, which often takes place in silence and discretion and which produces fruits of communion, formation and renewal.

With this moment of fraternal exchange, an international exchange, we can enhance the patrimony of experiences already gained, encouraging creativity, co-responsibility and communion in the Church, so that what is sown with dedication and generosity in so many communities can become light and stimulus for all.

Jesus’ words “I called you friends” (Jn 15:15) is not only an affectionate statement to the disciples, but a real key to understanding the priestly ministry. The priest, in fact, is a friend of the Lord, called to live with him a personal and confident relationship, nourished by the Word, by the celebration of the Sacraments, by daily prayer. This friendship with Christ is the spiritual foundation of the ordained ministry, the sense of our celibacy and the energy of the ecclesial service to which we dedicate our lives. It sustains us in moments of trial and allows us to renew every day the “yes” pronounced at the beginning of the vocation.

In particular, dear ones, from this key Word I would like to derive three implications for formation in the priestly ministry.

First, training is a path of relationship. Becoming friends of Christ means being trained in the relationship, not just in skills. Priestly formation, therefore, cannot be reduced to the acquisition of notions, but it is a journey of familiarity with the Lord that involves the whole person, heart, intelligence, freedom, and plasma in the image of the Good Shepherd. Only those who live in friendship with Christ and are permeated with his Spirit can proclaim with authenticity, console with compassion and guide with wisdom. This requires deep listening, meditation, and a rich and orderly inner life.

Subtaternity is an essential way of presbyteral life. Becoming friends of Christ involves living as brothers and sisters between priests and bishops, not as competitors or individualists. Formation must therefore help to build solid bonds in the presbyterate as an expression of a synodal Church, in which one grows together, sharing the efforts and joys of the ministry. How, in fact, could we ministers be builders of living communities, if an effective and sincere fraternity did not reign first of all among us?

Moreover, to form priests friends of Christ means to form men who are able to love, listen, pray and serve together. For this reason, every care must be taken in the preparation of the formators, because the effectiveness of their work depends above all on the example of life and on communion with each other. The very institution of seminarians reminds us that the formation of future ordained ministers cannot be carried out in an isolated way, but requires the involvement of all the friends and friends of the Lord who live as missionary disciples at the service of the People of God.

In this regard, I would also like to say a word about vocations. Despite signs of crisis going through life and the mission of priests, God continues to call and remains faithful to his promises. There needs to be adequate spaces to hear his voice. For this reason, there are important environments and forms of youth ministry impregnated with the Gospel, where vocations to the total gift of self can manifest and mature. Have the courage of strong and liberating proposals! Looking at the young people who in our time say their generous “here I am” to the Lord, we all feel the need to renew our “yes”, to rediscover the beauty of being missionary disciples in following Christ, the Good Shepherd.

Dear friends, we celebrate this encounter on the eve of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: it is from this “burning bush” that our vocation originates; it is from this source of grace that we want to let ourselves be transformed.

The Encyclical of Pope Francis Dilexit nos, if it is a precious gift for the whole Church, is especially for us priests. It strongly challenges us: it asks us to safeguard together mysticism and social commitment, contemplation and action, silence and proclamation. Our time provokes us: many seem to have distanced themselves from the faith, and yet in the depths of many people, especially of the young, there is a thirst for the infinite and of salvation. Many experience as an absence of God, and yet every human being is made for Him, and the Father’s plan is to make Christ the heart of the world.

This is why we want to rediscover together the missionary zeal. A mission that courageously and lovingly proposes the Gospel of Jesus. Through our pastoral action, it is the Lord himself who takes care of his flock, gathers those who are missing, bend over those who are wounded, support those who are discouraged. Imitating the example of the Master, we grow in faith and therefore become credible witnesses of the vocation we have received. When one believes, one sees: the minister’s happiness reflects his encounter with Christ, supporting him in mission and service.

Dear brothers in the priesthood, thanks to you who have come from afar! Thanks to everyone for daily dedication, especially in the places of formation, in the existential peripheries and in difficult places, sometimes dangerous. As we remember the priests who have given their lives, even to the point of blood, today we renew our readiness to live without reserve an apostolate of compassion and joy.

Thanks for what you are! Because remember to all that it is beautiful to be priests, and that every call of the Lord is above all a call to his joy. We are not perfect, but we are friends of Christ, brothers and sisters among us and children of his tender Mother Mary, and this is enough for us.

Let us turn to the Lord Jesus, to his merciful Heart that burns with love for every person. Let us ask him for the grace to be missionary disciples and pastors according to his will: seeking those who are lost, serving those who are poor, humbly guiding those who are entrusted to us. May his Heart inspire our plans, transform our hearts, and renew us in our mission. I bless you with affection and pray for all of you.

[A priest asks the Holy Father if he can embrace him]

If it’s one for everyone! Because after, the others want too! Do you agree? [The priests answer: Yes!] One for all! So, one for all!

[in Spanish] Raise your hand who comes from Latin America!

[in English] How many are from Africa?… How many from Asia?… From Europe? … From the United States?…

[that priest arrives, he presents himself and embraces the Holy Father]

Representing all those present at this time.

[in Spanish] To conclude, we propose a moment of prayer. [in Italian] A very brief moment, but what I said earlier in words, how important it is! I want to emphasize the importance of the spiritual life of the priest. Many times when we need help, look for a good “accompanyer”, a spiritual director, a good confessor. No one here is alone. And even if you’re working on the farthest mission, you’re never alone! Try to live what Pope Francis so often called “closeness”: closeness with the Lord, closeness with your Bishop, O religious superior, and closeness also among you, because you really have to be friends, brothers; live this beautiful experience of walking together knowing that we are called to be disciples of the Lord. We have a great mission and we can all do it together. We always count on God’s grace, closeness on my part, and together we can truly be this voice in the world. Oh, thank you!

Then, let us pray together: Our Father…

And to Mary our Mother, we say: Hail Mary…

[Bendition]

Best wishes to you all! God always bless you!”