Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
VATICAN MEDIA
Vatican City (Fides News Agency) – “The love of Christ sends us forth” is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the 101st World Mission Day, which will be celebrated on Sunday, 24 October 2027. It speaks to the very heart of the Christian mission: the love of Christ, when received and lived out, becomes the driving force for proclaiming the Gospel and being a neighbor to everyone.
As the Holy Father recalled in his Message for World Mission Day 2026, “if unity is the condition of mission, love is its essence.” Indeed, the Church’s mission arises from the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ, is nourished by our encounter with Him, and takes the form of a concrete witness to fraternity, closeness and service.
Christ’s love does not leave us indifferent, but urges us to go beyond ourselves, to reach out to others and, above all, to reach out to those who are lonely, poor or suffering.
In preparation for World Mission Day 2027, the Holy Father’s Message will be published at the start of next year, and it will guide the reflection, outreach and missionary formation of Christian communities.
On this journey, the four Pontifical Mission Societies — the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Holy Childhood Association, the Society of Saint Peter the Apostle and the Pontifical Missionary Union — play a vital role in fostering a missionary awareness and sense of responsibility among the baptized, from the very youngest to adults, and in promoting a universal network of prayer, formation and charity in support of evangelization and the young Churches.
Each in its own specific way, and all together, they contribute to nurturing the missionary spirit among the People of God and to supporting the new particular Churches (cf. Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium 67 §1).
(EG) (Agenzia Fides 31/10/2026)
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