Pope Leo Laments ‘Breakdown’ in Faith Transmission

Jan 31, 2026 | 0 comments

“We cannot overlook the fact that in recent decades there has been a breakdown in the way Catholics pass down the Christian faith to the young”, said Pope Leo on 29th Jan 2026 – directly quoting verbatim a passage from Pope Francis’  apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium of 2013.

The pope was addressing members of the doctrinal monitoring body the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) – formerly the CDF and originally the ‘Holy Office’.

“An increasing number of people no longer perceive the Gospel as a fundamental resource for their own existence, especially among the new generations. In truth, there are many young men and women who live without any reference to God and the Church, and while this causes pain in us as believers, it must also lead us to rediscover the ‘delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing’, which is at the very heart of the life and mission of the Bride of Christ.”

“The foundation of the life of the Body of Christ is the love of the Father, revealed to us in the Son made man, present and working in us by the gift of the Spirit; therefore, ‘it is not the Church that attracts, but Christ; and if a Christian or an ecclesial community attracts, it is because through that ‘channel’ flows the lifeblood of Charity that cascades from the Heart of the Saviour’.

For the full text of Pope Leo’s address, click here.

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ACI’s Campaign for Lumen Gentium 37

The Promise of Synodality

What we have experienced of synodality so far gives ACI real hope that a longstanding structural injustice in the church may at last be acknowledged and overcome.

As all Irish bishops well know, the 'co-responsibility' they urge lay people to share - as numbers and energies of clergy decline - has been sabotaged time and again by canonical rules that deny representational authority and continuity to parish pastoral councils.  ACI's 2019 call for the immediate honouring of Lumen Gentium Article 37 becomes more urgent by the day and is supported by the following documents - also presented to the ICBC in October 2019.

The Common Priesthood of the People of God and the Renewal of the Church
It was Catholic parents and victims of clerical abuse who taught Catholic Bishops to prioritise the safeguarding of children in the church

Jesus as Model for the Common Priesthood of the People of God
It was for challenging religious hypocrisy and injustice that Jesus was accused and crucified. He is therefore a model for the common priesthood of the laity and for the challenging of injustice - in society and within the church.

A Suggested Strategy for the Recovery of the Irish and Western Catholic Church
Recovery of the church depends upon acknowledgment of the indispensable role of the common priesthood of the lay people of God and the explicit abandonment by bishops and clergy of paternalism and clericalism - the expectation of deference from lay people rather than honesty and integrity.

For the full story of ACI's campaign for the honouring of Article 37 of Lumen Gentium, click here.

Prayer

"Come Holy Spirit, Renew Your wonders in this our day, as by a new Pentecost. Grant to Your Church that, being of one mind and steadfast in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and following the lead of blessed Peter, it may advance the reign of our Divine Saviour, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen."

Saint Pope John XXIII, 1962 - In preparation for Vatican Council II, 1962-65.

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