In honor of the group's 50th anniversary of founding, Pope Francis met with representatives of the Italian Conference of Missionary Institutes on Thursday.

He claimed that for fifty years, they have devoted themselves to advancing the ad gentes mission in Italy, becoming the voice of thousands of missionaries who dedicate their lives to proclaiming the message of Christ.

He stated that the Church, by definition, is a missionary and has a responsibility to the people and that evangelization is an essential obligation of the People of God.

He continued by saying that the Christian faith depends on these missionary endeavors. He argued that mission is the oxygen that Christian life needs to thrive without which it would wither away.

The Pope exhorted the missionaries to serve everyone in the audience. He also emphasized the need of embracing the underprivileged and children in local communities.

Need To Be Led By The Spirit To Succeed
Pope Francis reassured the missionaries that God is assisting them in carrying out their work. He asserted that the mystery of Grace is at the heart of both mission and communion. God did it; it is not our doing. He further stated that we must be led by the Spirit and obedient to His direction if we are to succeed.

He underlined how important missionaries' labor is in spreading the gospel among people worldwide.

Spend Time In Prayer
The Pope urged the missionaries to grow in their faith and include God in all facets of their lives. He exhorted everyone to regularly partake in prayer, the Eucharist, and the Word of God in order to sustain their lives and apostolates. He further emphasized that one should always mark one's preparation, meetings, and choices with time spent in prayer, celebrating the Eucharist, and paying attention to the Word of God.

The Pope emphasized the significance of submitting to God's will in all areas of life. He commanded everyone to individually and collectively entrust everything to God, cleansing their hearts and the organizations in which they work.

He additionally pushed the missionaries to continue pointing people toward the Lord. He exhorted them to move forward bravely so that the Church would always be filled with the power of the Spirit.

In his final remarks, Pope Francis thanked missionaries for their dedication to the communion and the mission and urged them to pray for him.