Pope Leo XIV has sent a message to the organizers and participants of the 28th Catholics and Public Life Congress, which is being held from this Friday until Sunday at CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. In the text, the Pope encourages attendees to engage with the reality of society «with the spirit of the Gospel that united them,» alluding to the bond that unites Spain and Latin America, according to El Debate reports.
The message was read during the congress presentation by Bishop Raimo Goyarrola, and the letter bears the signature of the Apostolic Nuncio in Spain, Monsignor Piero Pioppo. The Pontiff urges participants to proclaim the «ever-living» Gospel and to manifest it in social life, promoting the integral dignity of the human person and the common good. He also asks them to do so with an «optimistic, servant-like, close, and hope-bearing attitude,» and concludes by imparting to them «from the heart the implored apostolic blessing.»
A congress dedicated to the bond between Spain and America
The event, organized by the Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACdP) and the CEU San Pablo University Foundation, brings together around 1,300 participants under the motto «America and Spain. The faith that unites us. A round-trip journey.» The choice of theme connects with the Pope’s words, which place the shared evangelizing heritage as a starting point for Catholics’ service in public life.
At the opening, the «epic» of Spain in the evangelization of America was also highlighted «without ignoring the errors,» and the president of the ACdP, José Masip, stated that Hispanic heritage «is not nostalgia.» Masip had already presented this edition days earlier, as InfoVaticana reported, with the phrase «I prefer a Church with faith rather than one that is full.»
The message arrives while the Pope is traveling in Peru
The text is known while Pope Leo XIV is carrying out his apostolic journey to Peru. A few days earlier, Nuncio Pioppo had stated before the Propagandists, at their Prayer Breakfast, that «the Gospel of Christ must be at the center of every system».