Pope to Latin Catholic Bishops in the Arab Regions: “Do not be afraid of your smallness”

Vatican City (Fides News Agency) – “Do not be afraid of your smallness”: with these words, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the thirteen prelates of the Latin Episcopal Conference in the Arab Regions (CELRA) on Thursday, September 3, whom he received in audience at the Vatican at the conclusion of their annual meeting in Rome.

The Conference brings together the Latin-rite jurisdictions present in 17 countries across the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa: Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Cyprus, Djibouti, Somalia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Addressing the bishops, the Pope recalled the local Churches “operating in contexts often marked by political, social and religious tensions” and paid homage to the martyrs of those lands: Sister Leonella Sgorbati, a Consolata missionary; the Missionaries of Charity who were killed in Yemen while serving the most vulnerable; and of the many priests, men and women religious and members of the faithful who have given their lives in Iraq, Syria and “in other lands marked by violence.” “Their names may not be known to the world, but they are well known to God,” the Pope said, urging the communities “not to give in either to fear or resignation.”

The Pontiff urged the prelates to always be “pastors close to your people”, especially in the face of the forced emigration of many Christian families. “The fruitfulness of the Church is not measured in numbers, structures or resources, but in fidelity to the Gospel,” he stressed, calling for communities capable of “living, serving and hoping together” in the heart of societies marked by conflict.
“A small community, if rooted in Christ, can be a valuable presence: not because it seeks power, but because it serves,” he said; “not because it imposes itself, but because it bears witness; not because it responds to violence with more violence, but because it counters force with charity.”
He also urged the bishops not to lose sight of “the essence of the Church’s mission: the proclamation of the Gospel, prayer, the Sacraments and Christian formation”, recommending particular attention to families and young people, “often torn between high aspirations and an uncertain future”.

Particular attention was devoted to migrants, who are numerous in the Gulf countries and often experience loneliness and precarious living conditions. “Recognize in every migrant a brother and a sister,” Leo XIV said, encouraging Christian communities to become “homes where no one feels like a stranger”.
The Pope also encouraged communion among the different rites present in the region and a “sincere dialogue” with other Christian denominations and with Muslims, “without renouncing one’s own identity”.

In conclusion, the Pontiff urged the bishops not to seek “success or recognition above all else”, but fidelity: “Be a voice for truth, justice and peace; men of prayer, shepherds close to your people, artisans of reconciliation and witnesses to mercy.”
He entrusted the Churches in the Arab regions to the protection of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, assuring the bishops: “You are not alone. The universal Church looks upon your communities with affection.”
(MLK) (Fides News Agency, 4/9/2026)

Share:

papa leone xiv

---

---

local churches

---

---

mission

---

---

dialogue

---

---