Pope Leo XIV received today about 150 Italian seminarians at the Vatican, in the meeting held in the Clementine Hall. The future priests belonged to the Regional Pugliese Pius XI Seminary, from Molfetta, and to the Episcopal Seminary of Aversa. This morning audience served to mark the centenary of the new headquarters of the Molfetta seminary and the 300 years since the founding of the ecclesiastical college of Aversa.
In his exhortation, the Pope warned that vocation requires a pause in a hurried world to prepare service to the most fragile populations. Leo XIV rejected the idea that admission to the priesthood rewards personal merit, clarifying that in this vocation "there is no competition, there is no ranking table." The pontiff indicated that the requirement of formative time does not constitute a "luxury" or postponement of the mission, but rather the necessary condition to discern the call "without shortcuts" and far from the noise of society.
The Pope emphasized that priestly living dispels the illusion of a private and isolated path with God, adding that institutions should function as a "school of affections." Regarding the responsibility of those who guide vocations, Leo XIV asked that the teams of formators apply "science, patience and love" in building authentic community relationships.
The address concluded with a public thanks to the families of the young men, with the Pope recognizing the vital importance of parents who pray and "know how to let go." In his message, Leo XIV exhorted the seminarians to come down "from the mountain" to be sent to the people of their lands, namely to families who struggle to get by, to young people who at twenty pack their bags to look for work, to elderly who are alone, to the marginalized and to those who have lost the meaning of existence.
