Pope Leo XIV Meets Divine Word Bishops During General Audience in Rome

During the General Audience on August 6 at St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV personally greeted 18 bishops of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), who are currently gathered in Italy for the SVD Bishop Forum, a special meeting held from August 4 to 7 in Nemi.

The forum, organized by the Divine Word Missionaries, is part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the congregation’s founding.

Though not all SVD bishops were able to attend, the gathering offers a valuable opportunity for dialogue, fraternity, and mutual exchange among Divine Word bishops serving in dioceses around the world. Among those present was Cardinal Pál Nemet, SVD, Archbishop of Belgrade and President of the Conference of European Bishops.

Pope Leo warmly welcomed the bishops, expressing his gratitude for the SVD’s global missionary witness over the past150 years. He acknowledged their continued dedication to intercultural communion, evangelization, and service to the poor and marginalized.

The Holy Father’s catechesis, part of the Jubilee 2025 cycle titled “Jesus Christ, Our Hope,” focused on the theme of preparation, drawn from Mark 14:15: “Make the preparations for us there.” Reflecting on the Last Supper, Pope Leo emphasized that true love is not improvised but prepared, born of deliberate and loving intention.

“Jesus does not face his passion out of fatalism, but out of fidelity to a path freely and carefully accepted and followed,” the Pope said. “God always precedes us. Even before we realize we need to be welcomed, the Lord has already prepared a space for us.”

He invited the faithful to prepare their hearts not only for liturgical celebrations but in everyday life, through forgiveness, simplicity, listening, and gratitude. The Eucharist, he reminded, is not confined to the altar but lived out in daily acts of love.

“Every gesture of willingness, every gratuitous act, every forgiveness given in advance is a way to prepare a place where God can dwell,” he said.

This spiritual message resonated strongly with the Divine Word bishops, who are using the forum in Nemi to discern how best to carry forward the SVD’s missionary charism in light of today’s pastoral and global challenges. The meeting also serves as a fraternal space for exchanging experiences and encouraging one another in their episcopal ministries.

In his special greetings to English-speaking pilgrims, the Pope added: “During summer, a time normally set aside for holidays and recreation, let us not neglect the Lord’s invitation to prepare our hearts by actively participating in the Eucharist and by doing generous acts of charity. May God bless you all!”

Before concluding the audience, Pope Leo XIV recalled the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima,praying for the victims and calling the global community to choose peace over destruction. He urged a shift away from “illusory security based on the threat of mutual destruction” in favor of dialogue, justice, and fraternity.

As the SVD Bishop Forum continues in Nemi, the participants carry with them the Pope’s words, a message that both affirms their mission and inspires a renewed commitment to prepare the way of the Lord in the dioceses and communities they serve.