Vatican City: In a powerful message delivered to the Vallumbrosan Congregation of the Order of Saint Benedict, Pope Leo XIV urged the monks to rekindle their founding mission by embracing a renewed, simplified, and reformed Christian life one that continues to speak to the human soul even in a rapidly shifting world.
Receiving the participants of the congregation’s General Chapter at the Apostolic Palace, the Pope thanked them for their enduring witness, saying, “Your monastic life is a gift that reminds the Church of the primacy of God He who is the true source of joy and the wellspring of both personal and social transformation.”
Echoing the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo emphasized the need for the Church and religious orders in particular to shed anything self-centered, become poorer in spirit and closer to the poor, and to deepen the bonds of spiritual communion. “Do not let anything prevent you from returning to your original vocation,” he said. “Reform, renew, and simplify the Christian life not only for yourselves, but for the enrichment of the world. The Gospel, received in full, without edits or compromises, will always retain its radiant beauty.”
Founded in 1039 by Saint John Gualbert, the Vallumbrosan monks follow the Rule of Saint Benedict and are known for their emphasis on humility, service, and radical poverty. The Pope praised their enduring legacy, noting that the founding saint himself had chosen “a more authentic path” during a time of spiritual unrest. “Today, we too stand at the threshold of a new era, where the world though gripped by fear is reshaping itself in ways we are only beginning to understand.”
Rather than turning away from the trials of the modern world, the Pope encouraged the monks to enter deeply into it, armed with contemplative silence, listening hearts, and the Word of God. “Our age is not a curse it is a calling. Your task is to inhabit this culture not superficially, but with a depth that can only come from lived faith,” he said.
Pope Leo acknowledged the fragility and decline facing many religious communities today, marked by aging members, diminished numbers, and human imperfections. “Yet in these very weaknesses,” he said, “we find ourselves closer to the fragile beginnings of your order. What mattered then, and still matters now, is fidelity to the Gospel received in all its radical simplicity.”
Pope Leo also placed this message within a broader ecclesial context, recalling how Pope Paul VI had recognized in 1973 that the early energy of religious communities was still deeply relevant. He also referenced Pope Francis’ ongoing emphasis on ecclesial renewal, rooted in the aggiornamento (bringing up to date) called for by the Second Vatican Council.
That renewal, Pope Leo explained, demands not only internal reform but also active dialogue with the world and stronger collaboration between Benedictine communities. “Let the sons and daughters of Saint Benedict journey together,” he said, “so that your fidelity to the Rule may be enriched by fraternity and relevance in today’s world.”
Concluding his address, Pope Leo XIV left the monks with an exhortation filled with hope: “The Christian life, lived authentically, still has the power to stretch the horizon of human hope and deepen the very breath of life itself. Reform not just for the past, but for the future God is already preparing through you.”
With these words, the Holy Father reaffirmed the timeless value of contemplative life—not as a retreat from the world, but as a beacon within it, drawing humanity toward divine truth, simplicity, and peace.