Rome: In a profound encounter at the Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo XIV met a group of Italian hermits visiting Rome for the Jubilee of Consecrated Life, encouraging them to continue living out their vocation as beacons of prayer, contemplation, and spiritual guidance. Speaking in the Consistory Hall on the morning of October 11, the Pope highlighted the vital role of hermits in helping the Church and all faithful rediscover the importance of intimacy with God in today’s increasingly distracted world.
“In a world increasingly alienated by media and technology, there is a greater need than ever to respond to the call to interiority and silence,” Pope Leo said. He stressed that the hermitic vocation is “not an escape from the world, but a regeneration of the heart”, enabling believers to cultivate listening, creative action, and charitable deeds inspired by God. He added, “Your distance from the world does not separate you from others, but unites you in a deeper solidarity.”
The Pope emphasized the importance of hermits’ presence in both remote and urban contexts. From their intimate friendship with God, “the joy of living, the wonder of faith, and the taste of ecclesial communion are reborn,” he explained. Even amid the anonymity and isolation of modern cities, hermitages serve as oases of communion, their prayerful witness amplifying the “spiritual breath” of the Christian community through collaboration with local bishops and parish priests.
Drawing on the legacy of the Church Fathers, Pope Leo urged hermits to remain steadfast in prayer, lectio divina, and intercession, while also responding to contemporary spiritual challenges through the creativity of the Holy Spirit. “You can encourage others to return to themselves, to rediscover the center of gravity of the heart,” he said, citing Pope Francis’s encyclical Dilexit nos. Hermits are called to nurture the enduring desire for God that resides in every soul.
Pope Leo further described the inner journey of hermits as entering the “hidden place of the heart,” requiring vigilance, humility, and spiritual combat. “Only then can we abandon ourselves with confidence to intimate dialogue with the Father, who dwells and sees in secret,” he explained, emphasizing that prayerful solitude cultivates communion and compassion for all humanity.
Concluding his address, Pope Leo exhorted the hermits to “stand in the breach”, walking in solidarity with the trials of humanity while keeping their gaze fixed on Christ. “Sail with the whole Church, our mother, on the stormy sea of history, towards the Kingdom of love and peace that the Father prepares for all,” he said, highlighting the crucial mission of hermits in troubled times as leaven of divine life and witnesses of God’s enduring presence.