Pope asks priests in diplomatic corps to be witnesses of hope

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The priests who staff nunciatures and other Vatican diplomatic missions around the world must be priests first and diplomats second, Pope Leo XIV told them.

And part of that is recognizing that whether they are on pilgrimage to Rome or on assignment far from home, they -- like all the baptized -- are members of the people of God and not somehow above or distinct from the faithful, the pope told them Nov. 17.

The priests -- who serve in many of the 184 countries that exchange ambassadors with the Vatican -- were in Rome to make the Jubilee pilgrimage and to attend meetings at the Vatican Secretariat of State.

Like millions of Catholics who have made a pilgrimage to the Vatican this year, the pope told them, the Jubilee is an occasion "to strengthen your faith and renew the intentions that animate your ministry."

"One could truly emphasize that we have done this -- you have done this -- together with the whole people of God, and how important it is to recognize that your service is with the people of God, not separate from them," the pope said.

Thanking the priests for their willingness to leave everything to serve the church and their brothers and sisters, Pope Leo said he knew how demanding their service is, especially in countries torn by violence or marked by widespread poverty.

The Vatican diplomatic service requires "study and expertise, self-denial and courage," he said. But what it calls for above all is that they be "priests in love with Christ and dedicated to building up his body."

In difficult situations and times of trial, the pope told them, "Remember that the church sustains you in prayer; therefore, strengthen your priestly identity by drawing strength from the sacraments, from fraternal communion and from constant docility to the Holy Spirit."

In every nunciature, Pope Leo said, there is a chapel, which must be "the true center of your home."

With the celebration of daily Mass and time spent in Eucharistic adoration, he said, the priests will have the strength and grace of being "pilgrims of hope, especially where peoples lack justice and peace."

And when on assignment far from home, he said, "build relationships with everyone, resisting the temptation to isolate yourselves."

"Each nation offers you its own traditions to know, love and respect, just as the farmer respects the land and, by cultivating it, draws from it the good fruit of his labor," the pope said. "Do not therefore be detached men, but passionate disciples of Christ, immersing yourselves in an evangelical way in the contexts in which you live and work."