Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has offered heartfelt encouragement to Latin American catechists participating in the 13th Ordinary Assembly and 10th Study Days of the Society of Latin American Catechists (SCALA), currently being held in Asunción, Paraguay. In his message, the Holy Father urged catechists to renew their passion for evangelization and center their mission on the person of Jesus Christ.
Addressing participants of the regional gathering, Pope Leo encouraged them to make Jesus of Nazareth the very heart and goal of catechesis the focal point of their reflections. “May your primary task be to contemplate Jesus,” he wrote, “and from this loving encounter, may you rekindle the desire to proclaim Him anew to evangelize, and to guide others to embrace faith in Him by revealing His presence of love.”
SCALA, founded in 1995, is a network of theologians, educators, and catechetical scholars from across Latin America. Its mission is to deepen and enrich the Church's catechetical outreach through research, dialogue, and collaboration. This year’s conference, taking place from July 7 to 11, has drawn representatives from Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Honduras, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Argentina, Mexico, and Bolivia.
The gathering’s theme aligns with the synodal journey launched by Pope Francis, aiming to discern new ways of being Church through communion, participation, and mission. Discussions in Asunción are focused on interpreting this synodal path through a catechetical lens, offering theological insights and practical direction for catechists across Latin America.
Pope Leo’s message serves as both inspiration and invitation: to rediscover the joy of announcing the Gospel and to cultivate a catechesis that is not merely instructional but transformative rooted in a personal and communal encounter with Christ.