Pope Leo XIV meets with members of the National Confederation of the Misericordie of Italy, and encourages lay people to live out the Christian faith in acts of charity that respond to the needs of our times.
By Devin Watkins
The roots of the National Confederation of the Misericordie of Italy date back to the 13th-century, when St. Peter of Verona led several lay Catholics to embrace a path of service and devotion in the midst of conflict within the Church and Italian society.
Pope Leo XIV met with members of the Italian voluntary organziation at an audience in the Vatican on Saturday.
In his address, the Pope recalled the Misericordie’s centuries-old history, which is rooted in spirituality, charity, and attention to contemporary needs.
Spirituality lies at the organization’s foundation, he said, noting that its members’ devotion and service spread throughout Italy in the 13th century, before taking root in Portugal and then the Americas.
“The seed from which the great tree of which you are part has sprouted and grown is therefore sacramental in nature—it is founded on Baptism—and therefore moral and ascetical,” he said.
The Pope invited the confederation of confraternities to cultivate the Christian formation of its members through prayer, catechesis, and fidelity to the Sacraments, especially Sunday Mass and Confession.
He praised the introduction of the “Custodians of Mercy” in the group, which are lay people who animate and form other lay people in their journey of faith.
“Their ministry,” he said, “is exercised and received in a climate of co-responsibility, affectionate belonging, and communion, in which all are protagonists in a common effort to grow in Christian perfection.”
Pope Leo then invited the Misericordie’s members to engage in selfless works of charity, as they have throughout their lengthy history.
The Misericordie are present in situations of war or natural disasters, he said, and they bear witness to the Gospel of charity among all elements of society.
“You do not limit yourselves to ‘doing for,’ but you commit yourselves to ‘walking with,’ recognizing in others brothers and sisters, each with their dignity and their story,” he said.
The Pope went on to uphold the confederation’s constant adaptation to the needs of the times, always working in communal zeal for the good of others.
Over the centuries, people’s needs have changed, and the National Confederation of the Misericordie of Italy has changed to accompany those needs.
In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Christian lay people to live our faith intensely through the practice of charity, while always being messengers of hope, charity, and peace.
“Aim to grow in spirit,” he said, “and to serve with joy and simplicity, avoiding all logic of power, devoted to the praise of God and to the good of those whom the Lord places along your path.”
