Address to the national pilgrimage of altar servers of France
(August 25, 2025)
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you!
Dear Altar Servers, who have come from all over France, good morning!
I welcome you to Rome, and I am very happy to meet you, along with all those who have accompanied you: lay people, priests, and bishops, whom I warmly greet.
You know that this year is special: it is a “Holy Year”—which only occurs every 25 years—during which the Lord Jesus offers us an exceptional opportunity. By coming to Rome and passing through the Holy Door, He helps us to “convert,” that is, to turn to Him, to grow in faith and in His love, to become better disciples so that our lives may be beautiful and good under His gaze, with a view to eternal life. It is therefore a great gift from Heaven that you are here this year! I invite you to seize it by living intensely the activities that are offered to you, but above all by taking the time to talk to Jesus in the secret of your heart and to love Him more and more. His only desire is to be part of your life, to enlighten it from within, to become your best and most faithful friend. Life becomes beautiful and happy with Jesus. But He is waiting for your response. He knocks at the door and waits to enter: “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20). To be “close” to Jesus, the Son of God, to enter into His friendship! What an unexpected destiny! What happiness! What consolation! What hope for the future!
Hope is precisely the theme of this Holy Year. Perhaps you realize how much we need hope. You certainly hear that the world is in a bad way, facing increasingly serious and worrying challenges. You may be affected, either personally or in your circle of friends and family, by suffering, illness or disability, failure, the loss of a loved one; and, in the face of these trials, your heart is filled with sadness and anxiety. Who will come to our aid? Who will have mercy on us? Who will come to save us? Not only from our sorrows, our limitations, and our faults, but also from death itself?
The answer is perfectly clear and has resounded throughout history for 2,000 years: Jesus alone comes to save us, and no one else: because only He has the power—He is almighty God Himself—and because He loves us. Saint Peter said it emphatically: "There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved " (Acts 4:12). Never forget these words, dear friends; engrave them in your hearts, and put Jesus at the center of your lives. I hope that you will leave Rome closer to Him, more determined than ever to love and follow Him, and thus better equipped with hope to face the life that lies ahead of you. This hope will always be there in difficult moments of doubt, discouragement, and turmoil, like a solid anchor cast toward heaven (cf. Heb 6:19), which will enable you to continue on your journey.
There is certain proof that Jesus loves us and saves us: He gave His life for us by offering it on the cross. Indeed, there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for those one loves (cf. Jn 15:13). And this is the most wonderful thing about our Catholic faith, something that no one could have imagined or hoped for: God, the creator of heaven and earth, wanted to suffer and die for us, His creatures. God loved us to the point of death! To accomplish this, He came down from heaven, humbled Himself by becoming man, and offered Himself as a sacrifice on the cross, the most important event in the history of the world. What do we have to fear from such a God who loved us so much? What more could we hope for? What are we waiting for to love Him in return as He deserves? Gloriously resurrected, Jesus is alive with the Father, now caring for us and communicating His imperishable life to us.
And the Church, from generation to generation, carefully preserves the memory of the Lord's death and resurrection, of which she is a witness, as her most precious treasure. She preserves and transmits it by celebrating the Eucharist, which you have the joy and honor of serving. The Eucharist is the Treasure of the Church, the Treasure of Treasures. From the first day of its existence, and then for centuries, the Church has celebrated Mass, Sunday after Sunday, to remember what her Lord has done for her. In the hands of the priest and with his words, “This is my Body, this is my Blood,” Jesus still gives his life on the Altar, He still pours out his Blood for us today. Dear Altar Servers, the celebration of Mass saves us today! It saves the world today! It is the most important event in the life of a Christian and in the life of the Church, because it is the rendezvous where God gives himself to us out of love, again and again. Christians do not go to Mass out of duty, but because they absolutely need it; they need the life of God, who gives himself without return!
Dear friends, I thank you for your commitment: you are doing your parish a great and generous service, and I encourage you to persevere faithfully. When you approach the altar, always keep in mind the greatness and holiness of what is being celebrated. Mass is a time of celebration and joy. How, indeed, can we not have joy in our hearts in the presence of Jesus? But Mass is also a serious, solemn moment, marked by gravity. May your attitude, your silence, the dignity of your service, the beauty of the liturgy, the order and majesty of the gestures, draw the faithful into the sacred grandeur of the Mystery.
I also hope that you will be attentive to the call that Jesus may address to you to follow him more closely in the priesthood. I address myself to your young, enthusiastic, and generous consciences, and I am going to tell you something that you need to hear, even if it may cause you some concern: the shortage of priests in France and throughout the world is a great misfortune! A misfortune for the Church. May you, little by little, Sunday after Sunday, discover the beauty, the happiness, and the necessity of such a vocation. What a wonderful life that of the priest who, at the heart of each of his days, encounters Jesus in such an exceptional way and gives him to the world!
Dear Altar Servers, thank you once again for your visit. Your numbers and the faith that dwells within you are a great comfort, a sign of hope. Persevere courageously, and bear witness to those around you of the pride and joy that serving at Mass brings you.
I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you, your companions, your priests, and your families.
Thank you!
