In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you!
I am sure many of you speak English, right? I am going to attempt to speak French counting on your good will!
I cordially greet His Excellency Monsignor Dominique Blanchet, and I welcome all of you, elected officials and civil leaders of the Diocese of Créteil, on pilgrimage to Rome.
I am happy to welcome you in your journey of faith: you will return to your daily commitments strengthened in hope, better equipped to work for the construction of a more just, more humane, more fraternal world, which can be nothing other than a world more imbued with the Gospel. Faced with the abuses of all kinds that our Western societies are experiencing, we can do no better, as Christians, than to turn to Christ and ask for his help in exercising our responsibilities.
That is why your approach, more than just personal enrichment, is of great importance and usefulness to the men and women you serve. And it is all the more commendable because it is not easy in France, for an elected official, due to a sometimes misunderstood secularism, to act and decide in accordance with his or her faith in the exercise of public responsibilities.
The salvation that Jesus obtained through his death and resurrection encompasses all dimensions of human life, such as culture, economics and work, family and marriage, respect for human dignity and life, health, communication, education, and politics. Christianity cannot be reduced to mere private devotion, for it implies a way of living in society marked by love of God and neighbor, who, in Christ, is no longer an enemy but a brother.
Your region, the place of your commitments, is faced with major social issues such as violence in certain neighborhoods, insecurity, precariousness, drug networks, unemployment, the disappearance of conviviality... To face these challenges, Christian leaders are strengthened by the virtue of charity that has been within them since their baptism. This is a gift from God, a "force capable of opening up new ways of facing the problems of today's world and of profoundly renewing structures, social organizations, and legal norms from within. From this perspective, charity becomes social and political charity: it makes us love the common good and leads us to seek effectively the good of all" (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, n. 207). This is why Christian leaders are better prepared to face the challenges of today's world, provided, of course, that they live and bear witness to their active faith, to their personal relationship with Christ, who enlightens them and gives them strength. Jesus stated this emphatically: “Apart from me you can do nothing!” “ (Jn 15:5). It is therefore not surprising that the promotion of ”values,“ however evangelical they may be, but ”emptied" of Christ who is their author, are powerless to change the world.
So, Bp. Blanchet asked me for advice to give you. The first—and only—advice I will give you is to unite yourselves more and more with Jesus, to live and bear witness to him. There is no separation in the personality of a public figure: there is not the politician on one side and the Christian on the other. But there is the politician who, under the gaze of God and his conscience, lives his commitments and responsibilities in a Christian manner!
You are therefore called to strengthen yourselves in the faith, to deepen your understanding of the doctrine—especially the social doctrine—that Jesus taught the world, and to put it into practice in the exercise of your duties and in the drafting of laws. Its foundations are fundamentally in accord with human nature, the natural law that everyone can recognize, even non-Christians, even non-believers. We must therefore not be afraid to propose and defend it with conviction: it is a doctrine of salvation that aims at the good of every human being and the building of peaceful, harmonious, prosperous, and reconciled societies.
I am well aware that the open Christian commitment of a public official is not easy, particularly in certain Western societies where Christ and his Church are marginalized, often ignored, sometimes ridiculed. Nor am I unaware of the pressures, party lines, and “ideological colonization”—to use Pope Francis' apt expression—to which politicians are subjected. They need courage: the courage to sometimes say “no, I cannot!” when the truth is at stake. Here again, only union with Jesus—Jesus crucified!—will give you the courage to suffer for his name. He said to his disciples: "In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33).
Dear friends, thank you for your visit, and I assure you of my sincere encouragement as you continue your work in the service of your fellow citizens. Keep hope for a better world; keep the certainty that, united with Christ, your efforts will bear fruit and obtain their reward. I entrust you and your country to the protection of Our Lady of the Assumption, and I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.
Leo XIV
Hall of the Consistory
August 28, 2025
[source, in French]
