Text of Pope Leo’s Oct. 10 address to a delegation of Aid to the Church in Need.

I am pleased to greet you, dear members of Aid to the Church in Need International, as you gather in Rome during this Jubilee of Hope. Your visit is timely for our world continues to witness rising hostility and violence against those who hold different convictions, including many Christians. In contrast, your mission proclaims that, as one family in Christ, we do not abandon our persecuted brothers and sisters. Rather, we remember them, we stand with them, and we labour to secure their God-given freedoms. The words of Saint Paul remind us: “If one member suffers, all suffer together.” These words echo in our hearts today, for the suffering of any member of Christ’s Body is shared by the whole Church. It is with this truth before us that I address you.

Every human being carries within his or her heart a profound longing for truth, for meaning, and for communion with others and with God. This yearning rises from the depths of our being. For this reason, the right to religious freedom is not optional but essential. Rooted in the dignity of the human person, created in God’s image and endowed with reason and free will, religious freedom allows individuals and communities to seek the truth, to live it freely, and to bear witness to it openly. It is therefore a cornerstone of any just society, for it safeguards the moral space in which conscience may be formed and exercised.

Religious freedom, therefore, is not merely a legal right or a privilege granted to us by governments; it is a foundational condition that makes authentic reconciliation possible. When this freedom is denied, the human person is deprived of the capacity to respond freely to the call of truth. What follows is a slow disintegration of the ethical and spiritual bonds that sustain communities; trust gives way to fear, suspicion replaces dialogue, and oppression breeds violence. Indeed, as my venerable predecessor observed, “there can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others.” 

For this reason, the Catholic Church has always defended religious freedom for all people. The Second Vatican Council, in Dignitatis Humanae, declared that this right must be recognized in the legal and institutional life of every. The defence of religious freedom, then, cannot remain abstract; it must be lived, protected and promoted in the daily lives of individuals and communities.

It was from this conviction that your organization was born. Founded in 1947 in response to the immense suffering left in the wake of war, its mission from the beginning has been to foster forgiveness and reconciliation, and to accompany and give a voice to the Church wherever she is in need, wherever she is threatened, wherever she suffers.

For more than 25 years, your Religious Freedom in the World Report has been a powerful instrument for raising awareness. This report does more than provide information. It bears witness, gives voice to the voiceless, and reveals the hidden suffering of many.

Your commitment also extends to supporting the Church’s mission across the world by reaching communities that are too often isolated, marginalized or under pressure. Wherever Aid to the Church in Need rebuilds a chapel, supports a religious sister, or provides for a radio station or a vehicle, you strengthen the life of the Church, as well as the spiritual and moral fabric of society. And as I am sure you are aware, your organization has helped many of the missions in Peru, including in the Dioceses of Chiclayo, where I was privileged to serve.

Your assistance helps Christians, even small and vulnerable minorities, to be “peacemakers” in their homelands. In the Central Africa Republic, Burkina Faso and Mozambique, the local Church – often sustained by your help – becomes a living sign of social harmony and fraternity, showing their neighbours that a different world is possible.

I thank each of you for this work of solidarity. Do not grow weary of doing good, for your service bears fruit in countless lives and gives glory to our Father in Heaven. I invoke upon you and all those you serve the consolation of the Holy Spirit. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope, remain close to you and to all who suffer. With deep affection, I impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of grace and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord