Pope Leo XIV addresses the Leadership Conference of Women Religious

 

Pope Leo sent a video message to the participants of the 2026 Annual Assembly to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the “Leadership Conference of Women Religious” in the United States 

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Pope calls women religious to ‘confront the globalization of indifference'

In a video message to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States, Pope Leo highlights the beauty of different communities, charisms, and histories that work together to “make the mission and mystery of the Church visible in our world.”

By Kielce Gussie

Marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States, Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to participants in its 2026 Annual Assembly.

He offered “prayerful good wishes” to the women and men religious in different congregations throughout the Americas partaking in this event.

The Pope stressed the importance remembering the “need to foster unity within and among” the Institutes in the midst of such different communities, histories, and missions. “All Christians are called to be builders of Christ's communion, formed in a synodal Church in which everyone cooperates in the same mission according to their own charism and ministry,” he explained.

Specifically addressing women and men in religious life, Pope Leo called them to be experts in synodality through their experiences in community life. He praised the synodal aspect of the Assembly and expressed his hope that the group will be able to discern the Holy Spirit’s promptings regarding consecrated life.

Many charisms, one call

The many different charisms that the Holy Spirit has given communities throughout history have enabled consecrated people to “make the mission and mystery of the Church visible in our world.”

Here, the Pope conveyed his gratitude for the various Institutes’ contributions in the areas of evangelization, education, and care for the poor.

Reflecting on the theme of the Assembly— “Many Charisms, One Spirit, One Call”—Pope Leo encouraged everyone present to keep their respective community’s charisms in mind. “The Church needs you and all of the diversity and richness of the forms of consecration and ministry that you represent, for with your vitality and the witness of a life centered on Jesus, you can contribute to waking up the world,” he stressed.

If they do so, the Pope said, they will be able to confront the “globalization of indifference and of powerlessness with the remedy of Christ’s love and mercy.”

Hope in the young

Fostering religious vocations is essential and fundamental to the flourishing of consecrated life. Even in the midst of the ever-growing secularized world, Pope Leo highlighted that “many of us have personally experienced Christ’s call to follow him” through the taking of the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Even today, there remains a “growing hunger for God”, he said.

Many young people are rediscovering their faith after perhaps drifting away from it. This is why the interactions religious women have with young people are so important. Pope Leo challenged the assembly to “seek ways to introduce [young people] to your way of life and help them to hear the voice of the Lord, who speaks to us in the depths of our hearts.”

The Pope urged the group to encourage young people to be brave in answering God, so that they might experience the joy that comes from following his call.

Bringing his address to a close, the Pope wished the Assembly a fruitful gathering and assured them all of his prayers. He entrusted their work to Mary’s protection, “that she may intercede for all of you and for the communities which you represent.”

Pope Leo XIV meets with U.S. Leadership Conference of Women Religious

 

Pope Leo XIV with the Presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious ( LCWR )

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U.S. Sisters: Pope shares our concern for plight of immigrants

After meeting with Pope Leo XIV, the Presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious speaks to Vatican News about the situation of immigrants in the United States, synodality, and the involvement of women in the Church.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

As the United States has been affected by polarization and tension regarding social and political issues, the Church in the country has tried to be a voice of peace and harmony.

An association that seeks to read and respond to the signs of the times is the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR).

Numbering approximately 30,000 members, it brings together leaders of Catholic women religious congregations and focuses on assisting them in carrying out their roles in the service of the Gospel and helping the Church respond to the changes affecting society.

On Thursday, March 26, Pope Leo XIV met with the presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) during their annual trip to Rome and the Vatican. Among the topics discussed was the situation that his home country is going through at the moment.

When the Pope “listened to our story of the heart, about how painful it is right now in the United States in regards to the treatment of human beings, not even US citizens, just human beings themselves, I could see the pain on his face,” Sr. Carol Zinn, of the Sisters of St. Joseph and Executive Director of LWCR, told Vatican News.

The meeting with the Pope also included the three sisters that make up LCWR’s Presidency: the President, Sister Vicky Larson of the Presentation Sisters, the President-elect, Sister Debra Sciano of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and the former President, Sister Kathy Brazda of the Sisters of St. Joseph

The Gospel calls to welcome the stranger

Tensions have run high in the United States in the last year over the crackdown on immigration under the current government administration, with the situation reaching a boiling point in January 2026 after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens.

In November 2025, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops emphasized its concern over the treatment of immigrants in the country. That same month, Pope Leo expressed his support for their statement and called for migrants to be treated with human dignity and respect.

 

The LWCR and the Pope definitely have a “shared concern for the plight of the immigrant and the Gospel call to welcome the stranger,” Sr. Vicky Larson told Vatican News.

Sr. Zinn explained that the religious members of LCWR are “doing everything that they can to help at the grassroots level,” providing people with basic necessities such as baby food or shoes or accompanying them to court.

“We also work at the advocacy level of the federal government, so we have a foot in both worlds,” she continued, highlighting how the Pope thanked them for their work.

Promoting listening and relationships to contrast polarization

Sr. Zinn underlined that the LCWR’s work is focusing at the moment on the “transformation of consciousness,” asking “how do we transform the way we think about one another and then the words that we use when we speak to each other?”

“The issue of polarization is alive and well, not only in the United States, but it's pretty raw in the United States,” she continued. “There's a tendency to exclude the other, just about everybody, and to set up camps.”

Therefore, much of the organization’s work recently has focused on building relationships to counter polarization at the human level. “We're trying to learn the skills ourselves and then invite others—our partners in ministry, the boards of our sponsored ministries that are all lay people—into this kind of learning process also,” Sr. Zinn explained.

“One of the things that we need to do to work for justice is to work on relationships and build bridges across divides so that people understand one another and can work together,” added Sr. Larson.

Their endeavor is nourished by the fact that they are religious, as “consecrated life is really built around that concept of discernment and listening together,” Sr. Larson said.

The efforts to help people understand one another also build “on what Pope Francis called all of us to in calling the Synod on Synodality,” she noted. “I think he really gifted us with a call to look at the way that we are Church together, and that we communicate and share wisdom.”

Women and leadership in the Church: a cultural issue

The two LCWR leaders highlighted that synodality is entrenched in many of their organizational structures, saying the sisters come together to discern how to respond to the needs of the times.

They also emphasized that they “engaged in the synod process 1,000%” by sending feedback that contributed to the two sessions of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which took place in October 2023 and 2024.

Additionally, the two religious sisters explained they were very pleased to read paragraph 60 of the Final Document of the Synod, which insisted on women’s participation in the Church, highlighting that there should be no reason why women should not carry out leadership roles.

They also expressed their appreciation for the final report of one of the Synod’s Study Groups, which focused on women’s participation and leadership within the Church

“I’m pleased that the topic is being put on the table so that it can’t go away,” said Sr. Zinn. “I’m also pleased that there seems to be some understanding that's coming forth that this whole issue of the role of women in leadership in the Church is not theological, it's not ecclesial, it’s not historical, it’s not even canonical: It's cultural.”

“The conversations around the world, and certainly the United States, really need to begin at the cultural level,” she said.

Lastly, Sr. Zinn underlined the fact that both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV have appointed women to leadership roles in the Church, saying it shows their commitment to changing this culture regarding the role of women.

Pope Leo XIV has meeting with religious sisters

 

Pope Leo XIV welcomes religious sisters in the Vatican  (@Vatican Media)

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Pope Leo XIV to religious sisters: Ask, 'Is God my everything?'

Pope Leo XIV urges religious sisters in Rome for their General Chapters or the Jubilee to stay rooted in Christ and to ensure that God, in every way, remains their everything.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov 

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"Saint Augustine, speaking of the primacy of God in the Christian life, affirms that, 'God is everything, your everything.  If you are hungry, God is your bread; if you are thirsty, God is your water; if you are in darkness, God is your light that never fades; if you are naked, God is your everlasting garment.” Indeed, we would do well to ask ourselves: to what extent are these words true for me?  How much does the Lord satisfy my thirst for life, love or light?'" 

Pope Leo XIV made this observation when receiving the Daughters of Divine Charity, Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great, Augustinian Sisters of Amparo, and Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, in the Vatican on Monday.

Rootedness in Christ

In his remarks, the Holy Father noted, that "this rootedness in Christ is what led those who went before us – men and women like us, with gifts and limitations like ours – to do things they perhaps never thought they could achieve."

Moreover, the Pope marveled, it enabled them to sow seeds of goodness that, enduring throughout the centuries and across continents, have now reached practically the entire world, "as your presence here demonstrates."

Inspired by holiness

He recalled that some of the nuns were present due to their General Chapter, and others for their Jubilee pilgrimage, while stating in both cases, they have come to the tomb of St. Peter "in order to renew their love for the Lord and your fidelity to the Church."

While noting their Congregations were founded at different times and in distinct circumstances, the Holy Father recalled that their histories "share a common thread that can be seen in the light of such great historical witnesses to the spiritual life as Augustine, Basil and Francis, whose asceticism, courage and holiness of life inspired your founders to foster new ways of serving others."  

This, he said, is evident in their care for the weakest, including children, poor girls and boys, orphans, migrants, and more recently for the elderly and the sick as well as many other ministries of charity.

Faced with important choices

"Your response to the challenges of the past and the vitality of your present," Pope Leo XIV highlighted, "make clear that fidelity to the ancient wisdom of the Gospel is the best way forward for those who, led by the Holy Spirit, undertake new paths of self-giving, dedicated to loving God and neighbor and listening attentively to the signs of the times."

With this sentiment, Pope Leo reminded them of their important responsibility.

Pope Leo XIV receives religious sisters in the Vatican  (@Vatican Media

"You are faced with important choices that will determine your future, that of your sisters and of the Church Herself," he highlighted, stressing that, "For this reason, it seems most appropriate to conclude by reiterating, for all of us, the beautiful hope expressed by Saint Paul in addressing the Christians of Ephesus.

St. Paul had said, "I pray that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.  I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Finally, before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, Pope Leo thanked the religious sisters for their work and fidelity and prayed the Blessed Mother accompany them.

Pope Francis appoints first women ever to lead a Vatican Dicastery

 

Pope Francis names first ever woman to lead Vatican department

Consolata Missionary Sr. Simona Brambilla was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, on Jan. 6. She is pictured here speaking at a news conference at the Vatican March 14, 2024, about study groups authorized by Pope Francis to examine issues raised at the synod on synodality. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

Pope Francis on Jan. 6 appointed the first ever female to lead a Vatican department, continuing an ongoing trend of this pontificate to place more women in leadership in the Catholic Church. 

Consolata Missionary Sr. Simona Brambilla will serve as prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Vatican office that works with religious orders and their members.

The announcement comes three years after Francis formally overhauled the Vatican's constitution allowing for women and laity to offices of the Roman Curia. 

The appointment also comes at the conclusion of the pope's global synod process, which acknowledged that "women continue to encounter obstacles in obtaining a fuller recognition … in all the various areas of the church's life."  Even so, critics have countered that there are still too few concrete efforts to promote women in positions in authority in church life. 

Brambilla, 59, is an Italian-born missionary and nurse who previously served in Mozambique. She also holds a doctorate in psychology from Rome's Gregorian University. 

In 2023, she was appointed as the department's secretary, marking the first time in Vatican history that a woman was named the number two official of the curia. Previously, she had served as an external member of the department. 

Also appointed on Jan. 6 was Salesian Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, 65, who will serve as the pro-prefect of the dicastery, the office's number two official. The office oversees nearly 700,000 consecrated women and men from religious orders around the globe. 

In her new role, Brambilla will now top a growing number of women that Francis has elevated to high ranking posts in the Vatican. Included in that number are Emilce Cuda, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; Salesian Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; and Xaviere Sr. Nathalie Becquart, who is the under-secretary of the Vatican's synod office. 

In the immediate wake of Brambilla's appointment, Becquart — who has become one of the most visible public faces of the synod — took to social media to celebrate the announcement: "Wonderful news!," she wrote. 

Pope Francis meets with four religious communities

 

Pope Francis chats with several religious at the audience on Monday  (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

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Pope Francis encourages religious to discern and be charitable

Pope Francis addresses members of four religious congregations as they hold their General Chapters in Rome and urges them to focus on discernment, ongoing formation, and fostering a spirit of charity.

By Francesca Merlo

Pope Francis met on Monday with the leaders of four religious congregations, who are holding their General Chapters in Rome.

He held the audience with Chapter delegates of the Dominican Missionary Sisters of Saint Sixtus, the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary Most Holy in the Temple, and the Society of Divine Vocations (Vocationist Fathers).

The Pope expressed his gratitude for their dedication and service to the Church.

Discernment

The Holy Father began with a reflection on the significance of discernment, highlighting that it is essential for every religious congregation and individual.

"Discernment is part of life, whether at momentous times involving major decisions or in our daily decisions about small, routine matters," said Pope Francis. "Discernment is demanding and requires listening to the Lord, to oneself, and to others. It is a process that calls for 'prayer, reflection, patient expectation, and, ultimately, courage and sacrifice'."

The Pope also highlighted the joy that comes from making good decisions, stressing that "making a good decision, a right decision, brings us much joy."

He urged those present to help young people understand that "being free means risking to embark on a particular path, with wisdom and prudence of course, but also with boldness and a spirit of renunciation, in order to grow and advance in self-giving, and thus to find happiness in loving others in accordance with God’s plan."

Formation

Turning to the topic of formation, Pope Francis acknowledged that this is a common and shared mission among religious congregations.

He described religious life as a "path of growth in holiness that embraces the whole of existence," and encouraged the religious present to persevere in prayer, sacramental life, and the relationship with Christ.

The Pope added that "only those who are humble enough to realize that they are constantly 'in formation' can hope to become good 'formators' of others."

Charity

Finally, Pope Francis spoke about his third and final point: charity.

He described the foundational role of charity in the missions of these religious congregations, and reminded the superiors that their founders, such as Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat and Venerable Maria Antonia Lalia, saw the faces of the poor as a sign from God for their mission.

"Jesus speaks to us through our brothers and sisters in need; in every gift we give to them, there is a reflection of God’s love," the Pope stressed, before encouraging them "to seek to fan into flame the spirit of gratuitousness and selfless love that marked the beginnings of your presence in the Church." 

This, he concluded, "is the source of light for our journey and the effective antidote for overcoming, in ourselves and all around us, the culture of excess, individualism, and social breakdown that sadly prevails in our time."

Pope Francis discusses the contemplative life with the Discalced Carmelites

 

Pope Francis meets with Discalced Carmelites in the Vatican  (Vatican Media)

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'Get caught up in God's love,' Pope urges Discalced Carmelites

Pope Francis invites Discalced Carmelites to immerse themselves entirely in the Lord's presence in order to be filled with joy and love.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"The path of contemplation is inherently a path of love," that "makes us witnesses of the love we have received," Pope Francis observed when welcoming superiors and delegates of Discalced Carmelites in the Vatican on Thursday. 

Serving "as a ladder that raises us up to God," contemplation, the Pope said, is not about separating one from the world, but grounding us more deeply in it.

Embracing the Lord's calling

Recognizing that the religious are in the process of revising their Constitutions, the Holy Father acknowledged this "is a significant undertaking." Not only does it respond "to a natural human need and the contingencies of community life," he said, it also marks "an occasion" to devote themselves to prayer and discernment.

By "remaining inwardly open to the working of the Holy Spirit," the Pope continued, "you are challenged to discover new language, new ways, and new means to give greater impetus to the contemplative life that the Lord has called you to embrace."

In this way, the Holy Father said, they enable the charism of Carmel "to attract many hearts, for the glory of God and the good of the Church."

“You are challenged to discover new language, new ways and new means to give greater impetus to the contemplative life that the Lord has called you to embrace, so that the charism of Carmel may attract many hearts...”

As the Pope called their history and past "a source of richness," he likewise encouraged the nuns to "remain open to the promptings of the Spirit," "to the perennial newness of the Gospel," and "to the signs that the Lord shows us through the experiences of life and the challenges of history."

Caught up by the love of Christ

As cloistered women, the Holy Father acknowledged they live a certain "tension" between separation from the world and immersion in it, clarifying that their reality is "far from seeking refuge in interior spiritual consolations or a prayer [that is] divorced from reality."

Rather, Pope Francis marveled, the Carmelites allow themselves "to be caught up by the love of Christ and union with Him, so that His love can pervade your entire existence and find expression in all that you say and do." 

“Be caught up by the love of Christ and union with Him, so that His love can pervade your entire existence and find expression in all that you say and do.”

Hope offered by the Gospel

The Pope said that the light they need to revise their Constitutions and address the many concrete problems of monasteries and of community life is "none other than the hope offered by the Gospel," which, he said, differs from illusions based on human calculations.  

This, the Pope said, "entails surrendering ourselves to God, learning to read the signs He gives us to discern the future." 

"May your complete immersion in His presence," the Holy Father said, "always fill you with the joy of sisterhood and mutual love." 

“May your complete immersion in His presence always fill you with the joy of sisterhood and mutual love.”

Pope Francis concluded by encouraging the sisters to look ahead, with hope and trust in God.