I have just returned from the Missio General Assembly in Rome which is attended by all of the Pontifical Mission Societies’ directors in the world. We are 120 in number, representing some 140 countries. For wherever the Church is, there too is Missio.

We were called together so that we could experience and celebrate the wonderful diversity within the Church and be united as one in Jesus Christ, who sends us out to the whole world to proclaim the coming of God’s Kingdom; as the great Feast of Pentecost compels us.

The highlight of our General Assembly was our meeting with Pope Leo XIV, who took time to meet us all individually and share his wise words about mission and Missio.

The Holy Father reaffirmed the essential role of mission in the Church’s identity, highlighting the indispensable contribution of Missio in awakening the missionary responsibility of all the baptised. The meeting was marked by words of gratitude and a resolute call to action in the face of the many global challenges we face.

Sustaining young Churches

Opening his address, Pope Leo recalled his pastoral experience in Peru and praised the concrete support provided by Missio to mission territories. This support includes pastoral and catechetical programmes, the construction of churches, the training of Priests and Sisters, and the support of health care and Catholic education. ‘Missio,’ he said, is ‘the primary means of sustaining young Churches around the world.’

A key theme of the address was the call to rekindle apostolic zeal, which Pope Leo described as central to the renewal of the Church envisioned by the Second Vatican Council. In a world scarred by war, violence and injustice, evangelisation must offer a message of reconciliation and lasting peace grounded in the victory of Christ.

The Church is called to be a leaven of unity, bringing the promise of the Gospel’s peace to every person; a peace made possible because ‘Christ has made peace by the blood of his Cross’.

He urged us to visit dioceses, parishes, and communities: ‘Help the faithful rediscover the urgency and beauty of the missionary call’. Hearing these words, I gave thanks to God for the wonderful ministry of our partners, the Mill Hill Missionaries, who reach out to nearly every parish in England and Wales; not only to raise money for mission through the Red Box, but to stir in the hearts of all the faithful a ‘missionary spirit’.

Pope Leo especially praised the role of World Mission Sunday, celebrated annually on the penultimate Sunday of October, calling it ‘a vital support to my pastoral care of mission territories’.

Communion and universality

At the heart of his message, two concepts stood out: communion and universality. ‘In Christ, we are one,’ he said, quoting St Augustine. ‘We are one family of God beyond every language, culture, and experience.’ This sense of spiritual communion naturally leads to the universal mission of the Church:

‘We are called to go beyond the boundaries of our own communities to share the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ with all peoples.’

Concluding his speech, the Holy Father called us to be Missionaries of Hope in a troubled world, entrusting us, our benefactors, and all our precious volunteers to the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church and gave us all – you and me – his Apostolic Blessing as ‘a pledge of lasting joy and peace in the Lord’.

As a final note, I was able to explain to him the Red Box as a symbol of the zeal for mission many Catholics possess in England and Wales, a zeal based on prayer and offerings, trusting always in the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us to be missionaries of hope.

God bless you and keep you close,

Fr Tony