Reach out, welcome those seeking God, don’t judge, pope tells Rome Diocese

Reach out, welcome those seeking God, don’t judge, pope tells Rome Diocese

ROME (CNS) — In a big city like Rome, where poverty and crime are growing and people increasingly feel the Catholic Church is detached from their daily lives, a new approach to pastoral ministry and outreach is need, Pope Leo XIV said. “We must not be content with repeating the same things as always,” the pope told members of the Rome diocesan assembly — priests, deacons, religious and lay representatives of Rome parishes — gathered in the Basil…

Welcome, don't judge those seeking God, says pope

Pope Leo XIV elevates the Book of Gospels during a prayer service at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome to mark the beginning of a new pastoral year for the Diocese of Rome Sept. 19, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez) In a big city like Rome, where poverty and crime are growing and people increasingly feel the Catholic Church is detached from their daily lives, a new approach to pastoral ministry and outreach is need, Pope Leo XIV said. “We must…