In his first official meeting with Vatican employees, Pope Leo XIV urged the Roman Curia and all workers of the Holy See this Saturday to carry out their duties “avoiding prejudice and with a good dose of humor, as Pope Francis taught us.” He made the remarks during an audience held in the Paul VI Hall, attended also by the workers’ families.
Far from delivering a programmatic speech, the newly elected pontiff — who assumed the papacy on May 8 — took the opportunity to express his gratitude for the daily efforts of those who keep the Vatican running. “This is not the time for programmatic speeches,” he clarified at the beginning of his address. “It’s a moment to give thanks for your work.”
He recalled that just two years ago he arrived in Rome after being appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops by Pope Francis. “As you know, I came here only two years ago, when the beloved Pope Francis named me prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. I left the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, and came to work here. What a change! And now… what can I say?” he said with a smile.
Leo XIV, born in the United States but a naturalized Peruvian, spent two decades in Peru as an Augustinian missionary. There, he said, his pastoral vocation took shape. “As an Augustinian religious, I was a missionary in Peru, and among the Peruvian people my vocation matured. I will never be able to thank the Lord enough for that gift.”
Later, as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, he was responsible for the Vatican department that oversees the appointment of bishops worldwide. “Being called to serve the Church here in the Roman Curia was a new mission, one I’ve shared with you over these past two years. And I will continue, as long as God wills, in this service that has been entrusted to me.”
In his remarks, the Pope reiterated the vision he shared during his first public appearance from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: to build a missionary Church, open to dialogue and hospitality. “A Church that builds bridges, that engages in dialogue, that welcomes everyone with open arms—especially those most in need of our charity, our presence, our dialogue, and our love.”
He also emphasized that this mission begins in the everyday, within the workplace itself. “Each of us can be a builder of unity through our attitude toward colleagues. We must overcome inevitable misunderstandings with patience and humility, put ourselves in others’ shoes, avoid prejudice, and, yes, have a good dose of humor—just as Pope Francis taught us,” he stressed.
To close, he lightened the atmosphere with a joke, responding to the warm ovation from those gathered: “If the applause is longer than the speech, then I’ll have to give a longer speech. Be careful!”
“The Pope may come and go, but the Curia remains,” he concluded, making clear that this first meeting with the Vatican’s administrative body was, above all, an occasion for gratitude.
