Three months after torrential rains devastated the Spanish city of Valencia, Pope Francis met with seminarians, formators, and bishops from the region, urging them to embrace their priestly vocation as a calling to serve those who suffer.

On Thursday, January 2025, Pope welcomed representatives from the Archdiocese of Valencia and other Spanish dioceses to an audience at the Vatican. The meeting took place in the aftermath of the late October 2024 floods, which claimed the lives of around 230 people and caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure. Thousands of volunteers and nonprofit organizations mobilized to assist those affected, demonstrating resilience and solidarity.

Pope Francis reflected on the devastating floods, emphasizing that such disasters are not merely rare natural phenomena but profound reflections of human suffering.

"The storm was not just an atypical phenomenon that we merely hope will not happen again," he said. "It is the extrapolation of what every human being experiences when faced with loss, feeling alone, displaced, and in need of support to move forward."

He called on future priests to recognize their mission as healers of broken hearts, providing spiritual and emotional support to those facing the challenges of daily life.

Pope admitted that he found it difficult to express his emotions when thinking about the pain endured by Valencia’s residents as they celebrated Christmas in the wake of the floods.

"Yours is a pain and mourning that, despite its harshness, opens us to hope," he said. "For in forcing us to reach rock bottom and leave behind everything that seemed to sustain us, it allows us to go beyond."

He underscored the importance of solidarity and presence in times of crisis, praising the volunteers and the Catholic Church’s response to the disaster as expressions of God’s tenderness.

Pope Francis emphasized that hope is not mere optimism, which he described as a superficial attitude. Instead, he said, true hope challenges people to seek deeper meaning beyond empty words.

"Our hope has a name—Jesus—God who was not disgusted by our clay and who, instead of saving us from the clay, became clay for us."

He reminded the seminarians that priests are called to become like Christ, embracing the suffering of those they serve and walking with them in their pain.

"When you see broken people—because in Valencia there are broken people who have lost their lives in pieces—give them pieces, fragments, of yourselves, just as Christ does in the Eucharist."

In conclusion, Pope Francis encouraged the future priests to freely give of themselves, just as they have freely received their calling. He reminded them that their priestly mission is to serve, comfort, and uplift those who are suffering, becoming true instruments of God’s mercy.

Pope’s words resonated deeply with the seminarians and bishops present, reinforcing their commitment to shepherd their communities with compassion and self-giving love.