Letter of Pope Francis to the Priests of the Diocese of Rome

The Pope has sent a letter to the priests of Rome,

Dear brother priests,

I would like to reach out to you with a thought of accompaniment and friendship, which I hope will sustain you as you carry out your ministry, with its load of joys and labours, hopes and disappointments. We need to exchange glances full of care and compassion, learning from Jesus who looked at the apostles this way, not demanding from them a schedule dictated by the criterion of efficiency, but offering care and refreshment. Thus, when the apostles returned from their mission, enthusiastic but tired, the Master said to them: “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while” (Mk. 6:31).

I think of you, at this time at which there can be, along with the summer activities, also a little rest after the pastoral labours of the past months. And first of all I would like to reiterate my thanks: “Thank you for your
witness and for your service. Thank you for the hidden good you do, and for the forgiveness and consolation that you bestow in God’s name. … Thank you for your ministry, which is often carried out with great effort,
with little recognition and is not always understood” (Homily for Chrism Mass, 6 April 2023).

Click here to read the full letter.