Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has encouraged writers to continue using their talents to promote truth, hope and compassion, saying that writing is much more than a creative skill. He described it as an act of humanity, a search for truth and a path that helps people discover God through everyday life.
The Pope shared this message during a meeting with writers from different parts of the world who gathered in Rome to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Vatican Publishing House, also known as Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Founded in 1926, the publishing house has played an important role in spreading the teachings of the Catholic Church and publishing works on faith, theology and culture.
Welcoming the participants, Pope Leo expressed his gratitude for the work of authors and storytellers. He said the Church needs people with imagination, creativity and thoughtful ideas because they help create spaces where people can freely encounter truth, hope and the comforting presence of God. He encouraged writers to continue producing works that inspire peace and authentic human relationships.
Reflecting on the deeper meaning of writing, the Pope explained that every written work reveals something about the person behind it. Through stories, essays and other forms of literature, writers express their beliefs, hopes and dreams for the future. At the same time, they invite readers to reflect on the world around them and to search for truth.
Pope Leo reminded the gathering that truth is not something people can completely control or possess. Instead, he said, truth reveals itself through sincere dialogue with God and respectful conversations with others. He encouraged writers to remain open to this journey, allowing themselves to be guided by truth rather than claiming to own it.
The Holy Father also spoke about literature as a powerful expression of humanity. He noted that books and stories allow readers to experience lives very different from their own. By entering into the thoughts and emotions of fictional and real life characters, people develop empathy and gain a better understanding of others.
He said this ability to imagine another person's experience is essential for building compassion, solidarity and mercy. Reading, he added, becomes a valuable school of humanity because it broadens people's outlook and helps them appreciate different ways of seeing the world. Such openness prevents individuals from believing that their own opinions are the only correct ones and helps them recognise that truth is often discovered by bringing together many different perspectives.
Turning to the relationship between literature and faith, Pope Leo acknowledged that some may find it surprising to hear that writing also concerns God. However, he explained that many theologians have reflected on the close connection between storytelling and God's revelation in the Bible.
The Pope observed that throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself through ordinary human experiences. Stories of liberation, hope, family life, suffering, mercy and faithful love all become ways through which God speaks to humanity. Because of this, he said, exploring the deepest questions of human life also becomes a way of drawing closer to God.
Quoting Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, Pope Leo recalled that every sincere effort to understand love, justice, freedom, suffering and death helps people come to know Christ more deeply because Christ fully embraced the human experience.
The Pope stressed that God continues to work through people's daily lives, relationships and personal experiences. For this reason, writers who honestly explore human life are also helping readers recognise God's presence in the world around them.
Concluding his address, Pope Leo repeated the words once spoken by Pope Saint Paul VI to artists: "We need you." He thanked writers for using their gifts to promote reconciliation, friendship and mutual understanding, encouraging them to continue planting seeds of hope through their words and stories.