Vatican City: Consecrated men and women across the world have been praised as a “presence that remains” amid situations of conflict, instability and suffering, in a letter issued by the leadership of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The message underscores the enduring role of consecrated life as a sign of hope, especially in regions marked by violence, poverty, displacement and social division.
Addressed to consecrated persons “in every part of the world, in the places where you live and carry out your mission,” the letter was signed by the Dicastery’s Prefect, Sr. Simona Brambilla, Pro-Prefect Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, and Secretary Sr. Tiziana Merletti. The authors begin by expressing deep gratitude for the fidelity of consecrated women and men to the Gospel and for the gift of lives wholly dedicated to God lives which, though often tested by hardship, continue to radiate hope.
Reflecting on the past year, the Dicastery leaders recalled their pastoral visits and encounters with consecrated persons living in particularly complex contexts. These include areas affected by armed conflict, extreme poverty, forced migration, religious marginalization, and political and social instability. Such experiences, the letter notes, vividly demonstrate how consecrated life becomes a steadfast presence alongside wounded individuals and communities, where the Gospel is lived under conditions of fragility and trial.
The letter emphasizes that the form this presence takes varies according to cultural and social realities. Yet it is precisely in places where political and social tensions undermine trust and erode hope that the quiet, faithful and creative witness of consecrated persons becomes most meaningful. Their discreet perseverance, the Dicastery explains, stands as a visible sign that God does not abandon His people, even in the darkest circumstances.
Addressing the spiritual meaning of “remaining,” the letter clarifies that this evangelical stance is neither passivity nor resignation. Rather, it is described as an active hope that generates concrete gestures of peace. This hope may be expressed through words that defuse hostility, relationships that foster dialogue, or choices that prioritise the protection of the vulnerable and the forgotten.
Such a commitment to remain, the authors stress, is not merely a personal or communal decision. It takes on a prophetic dimension for both the Church and the wider world. Each form of consecrated life contributes uniquely to this prophecy: apostolic life manifests active closeness to those whose dignity is wounded; contemplative life sustains hope through prayer and fidelity when faith is tested; secular institutes witness to the Gospel quietly within social and professional environments; the Ordo virginum embodies the power of gratuitous love and faithfulness; and eremitic life recalls the primacy of God and the essential values that disarm the human heart.
Across these diverse expressions, the letter identifies a unifying call to remain with love. This means refusing abandonment, avoiding silence in the face of injustice, and allowing one’s very life to become a living Word for the present moment in history.
Within this prophetic witness, the testimony to peace continues to grow. Echoing Pope Leo XIV’s repeated teachings, the letter recalls that peace is not an abstract concept but a demanding, daily journey. It requires listening, patience, dialogue, conversion of heart and mind, and the rejection of any mentality that allows the strong to dominate the weak. True peace, the Dicastery affirms, is born not from confrontation but from encounter and shared responsibility.
When consecrated persons choose closeness over conflict and dialogue over division, they can become true “artisans of peace,” the letter states. By listening with love and remaining present among those who suffer, they open paths for reconciliation and healing.
The message concludes by encouraging consecrated men and women to persevere in their mission, especially in the light of the Jubilee of Consecrated Life in 2025. During that Jubilee, consecrated persons were called to be pilgrims of hope on the road to peace a calling the Dicastery urges them to embody daily, wherever human dignity is wounded and faith is put to the test.
Entrusting all consecrated people to the Lord, the heads of the Dicastery expressed the hope that their lives may continue to be “a prophecy of presence and a seed of peace” in a world yearning for healing and reconciliation.