Vatican City: In a heartfelt message to missionaries across the Americas, Pope Francis urged them to communicate in the universal language of love, a language understood by all humanity.
Addressing approximately 1,300 participants of the 6th American Missionary Congress (CAM6) held in Ponce, Puerto Rico, from November 19 to 24, the Pope reflected on the profound call of evangelization. The event, centered on the theme "Evangelizers in the Spirit: To the Ends of the Earth," brought together missionaries to share their experiences and renew their mission.
In his message, sent to Papal Legate Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, Archbishop Emeritus of Caracas, Pope Francis encouraged fervent prayer to the Holy Trinity, asking God to “pour out His love and renew the face of the earth.”
The Pope highlighted that the Church’s mission is deeply rooted in a personal and transformative encounter with Jesus Christ. “We cannot share what we have not received, nor express what we have not experienced,” he said. Quoting from his reflection, the Pope pointed to Jesus as the ultimate missionary, who spoke from the fullness of His heart, nurtured by prayerful communion with the Father.
Pope Francis emphasized the unique calling of all baptized Christians to see the world and their neighbors with “Christ-filled eyes” that radiate compassion, welcome, and mercy. This encounter with the Risen Christ, he added, fills hearts with an irrepressible joy, which, through the Holy Spirit, finds expression in both words and deeds.
The Pope remarked on the Church’s ability to speak every language because it always proclaims the same universal truth—the language of love, deeply embedded in humanity’s essence as beings made in God’s image.
He also invited missionaries to embrace a spirit of synodality, mutual listening, and openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Prayer, he stressed, must remain central, continually asking the Father to send His Spirit to heal a world scarred by injustice and human suffering.
Pope Francis concluded by presenting the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model of missionary discipleship, who brought Christ to the world with unwavering generosity. “May we, like her, offer ourselves completely, supported by her maternal care, to carry the Gospel to the very ends of the earth,” he prayed.