Audience of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV with the Catholic Biblical Federation

The Holy Father encouraged the CBF delegation to examine anew their personal and ecclesial fidelity to the CBF’s constitutional mandate, “which is nothing less than the proclamation of the kerygma, the saving mystery of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The CBF’s “mission and vision should always be inspired by the conviction that the Church draws life not from herself but from the Gospel. From the Gospel she continually rediscovers the direction for her journey, under the guidance of the Spirit…” Pope Leo further affirmed: “ensuring easy access to Sacred Scripture for all the faithful is essential, so that everyone may encounter the God who speaks, shares his love, and draws us into the fullness of life…” In this regard, the Pope underlined the importance of the CBF’s commitment to the translation of the Scriptures and to the promotion of “lectio divina and every initiative that encourages frequent reading of the Bible.” 

Easy access to the Scriptures must take into account new cultural developments, including “the digital environments where the Word of God is easily overshadowed and the existence of new communities who often find themselves in cultural spaces where the Gospel is unfamiliar or distorted by particular interests”. The Pope insisted: “Ultimately, your mission is to 
become ‘living letters… written not in ink but by the Spirit of the living God’ (2 Cor 3:1-6, bearing witness to the primacy of God’s Word over the many voices that fill our world.”

The Holy Father concluded his address by invoking the aid of the Blessed Virgin Mary in teaching us the art of listening, in strengthening us in obedience to the Word made flesh and in guiding us to magnify the Lord. He then imparted his Apostolic Blessing upon the members of the CBF delegation and their loved ones.

Following the Papal address, Pope Leo greeted each of the members of the delegation personally, listened attentively to their messages and accepted numerous gifts, symbolizing the variety of the commitment to Biblical pastoral ministry in the various cultural settings across the world.

The CBF delegation was composed of the members of the CBF Steering Committee and of the CBF regional coordinators, as well as persons active in the “Friends of the CBF”. This delegation was accompanied by Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, which is the direct canonical authority of the CBF, and by Cardinal Luis Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and President of the CBF. 

Significantly, the audience took place in the “Hall of Popes” in the Apostolic Palace, where stone sculptures of Jesus presenting the book of the Scriptures, of Peter and Paul and of four Church authorities, including Pope Gregory the Great, held the book of the Scriptures in their hand, seeming to encourage the CBF delegates assembled around the Holy Father.