The International Forum of Catholic Action is on its way to its 9th Ordinary Assembly from 15 to 18 October: We share Pope Leo XIV’s wishes on 1 January and the questions he posed to the Church on 6 January at the closing of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica to continue to be pilgrims of hope and become the generation of a new dawn.
01 January 2026 Therefore, as we set out toward the new and unique days that await us, let us ask the Lord to help us experience at every moment, around us and upon us, the warmth of his fatherly embrace and the light of his benevolent gaze. In this way, we may better understand and keep constantly in mind who we are and towards what marvelous destiny we are heading (cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 41). At the same time, let us also give God glory through prayer, holiness of life, and by becoming mirrors of his goodness for one another.
06 January 2026 The Holy Door of this Basilica… has seen a stream of innumerable men and women, pilgrims of hope, journeying toward the new Jerusalem, the city whose doors are always open (cf. Rev 21:25).
- Who were these men and women, and what motivated them? At the end of this Jubilee year, the spiritual searching of our contemporaries, much richer than perhaps we can comprehend, invites us to earnest reflection. Millions of them crossed the threshold of the Church. What did they find? What was in their hearts, their questions, their feelings? Yes, the Magi still exist today. They are the people who sense the need to go out and search…
- Let us ask ourselves: is there life in our Church? Is there space for something new to be born? Do we love and proclaim a God who sets us on a journey?…
- Let us ask ourselves: has the Jubilee taught us to flee from this type of efficiency that reduces everything to a product and human beings to consumers? After this year, will we be better able to recognize a pilgrim in the visitor, a seeker in the stranger, a neighbor in the foreigner, and fellow travelers in those who are different?…
- The faithfulness of God continues to amaze us. If we do not reduce our churches to monuments, if our communities are homes, if we stand united and resist the flattery and seduction of those in power, then we will be the generation of a new dawn.
