In an international seminar held in Italy, participants representing priests, nuns, religious brothers and laity envisioned to promote peace and justice.
SEDOS, a forum open to all the Roman Catholic institutes of consecrated life that commit themselves to deepening their understanding of the global mission, organized the five-day seminar (June 17-20).
Up to 70 missionaries from 30 missionary institutes, representing 32 nationalities across all continents, including laymen and women, Religious Brothers, nuns, and priests, gathered in the serene and spiritually resonant setting of Centro Ad Gentes in Nemi, located outside Rome, Italy.
The SEDOS Residential Seminar 2025’s theme was “Missionary Institutes and Synodality: Charism, Prophecy, and Witness.”
“Our shared time together was a profound witness to the Church’s intercultural and international richness and the possibility of unity in diversity in our increasingly polarized world,” said Sr. Mary Barron, a member of Our Lady of Apostles and president of SEDOS, in a statement.
Through mutual listening, prayer, and creative engagement, they searched together for the paths of tomorrow’s mission—rooted in the Gospel, responsive to the cries of the Earth and of people who are made poor and marked by the joy of walking together.
In the face of today’s global chaos—marked by war, hunger, violence, and environmental disaster—the participants felt a renewed urgency to become instruments of justice, peace, and the integrity of Creation.
They agreed to intensify their prayer and take courageous action, personally and collectively, to help build a world where hope, dialogue, and communion are real and tangible.
“With one voice, we join Pope Leo XIV in his urgent plea: ‘Let everything possible be done to achieve genuine, just, and lasting peace as soon as possible,’” the statement said.
“We echo his call to all those who hold power—use that power not to destroy, but to bring peace; not to divide, but to reconcile; not to kill, but to protect life. Put an end to all war and killing. Let peace reign in our hearts, in our communities, and our world,” it added.
As missionary men and women, they reaffirmed their commitment to the shared journey of synodality—locally and universally.
“We pray that the Church may increasingly become a bridge of unity and healing for humanity and all of God’s creation. May our tender and loving God bless our mission and all our efforts to remain prophetic witnesses of God’s merciful love,” said Fr. John Paul Herman, a member of Divine Word Society and executive director of SEDOS.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, the Pro-Prefect for the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization, was the keynote speaker.
He spoke on the theme and provided concrete examples of how one can live as a missionary.
Sr. Nirmala Nazareth, superior general of the Sisters of Apostolic Carmel and president of the Conference of Religious Women in India, was one of the speakers.
She spoke about being prophetic and bold, standing for truth in the church as well as in society in the Indian context.
“Stand for truth even if it hurts,” she told the participants.
SEDOS is an institute of service for documentation and studies on global missions. It has 83 missionary congregations with members working all over the world. It is affiliated with the Dicastery of Evangelization.
In 1964, SEDOS was founded by nine superior generals who were council members at Vatican II and discussed Ad Gentes
Recently, it celebrated 69 years and met the new Pope Leo XIV on June 11 in the Vatican.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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