“"The nations will walk in His light."

19th Missionary Day

The Church's mission is to call all peoples to the salvation accomplished by God in his incarnate Son. It is therefore necessary to renew the commitment to proclaim the Gospel, the leaven of freedom and progress, fraternity, unity, and peace. I wish to "reaffirm that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church," a task and mission that the vast and profound changes in present-day society make even more urgent. At stake is the eternal salvation of people, the end and fullness of human history and the universe. Animated and inspired by the Apostle to the Gentiles, we must be aware that God has a numerous people in all the cities visited, even by the apostles of today (cf. At 18, 10). Indeed, “the promise is for all those who are far off, all those whom the Lord our God will call.“(At 2,39).

The entire Church must strive to missio ad gentes, while the saving sovereignty of Christ is not fully realized: "Now, however, we do not yet see all things subjected to him."“(Hb 2,8).

Called to evangelize also through martyrdom.

On this day dedicated to missions, I remember in prayer those who have dedicated their lives exclusively to the work of evangelization. I mention in particular the local Churches, the missionaries who witness to and spread the Kingdom of God in situations of persecution, with forms of oppression ranging from social discrimination to imprisonment, torture, and death. Many are currently being put to death because of His “Name.” What my venerated Predecessor wrote remains highly relevant today. Pope John Paul II"The jubilee celebration unveiled a surprising scenario, showing our time to be particularly rich in witnesses who, in one way or another, knew how to live the Gospel in situations of hostility and persecution, often even giving the ultimate proof of their blood."“

(Pope Benedict XVI, message of the year 2009)