Pope Leo’s address to participants in the events promoted by the Military Ordinary for Italy
Clementine Hall, 7 March 2026
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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Peace be with you!
Dear brothers in the episcopate, Your Eminences, distinguished military authorities,
reverend chaplains and officials of the Military Ordinariate,
Dear brothers and sisters,
I extend a warm welcome to you all!
In particular, I would like to welcome the military ordinaries from other countries besides Italy.
I encourage them to continue and deepen the dialogue and collaboration between the various ordinariates scattered throughout the world.
Inter arma caritas: (Inter Arms Charities)
“Bringing Christ into the veins of humanity, renewing and sharing the apostolic mission, looking to the future with serenity and making courageous choices”
– (from the address to the bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference, June 17, 2025).
These are the words that are guiding the centenary journey of the military ordinariate for Italy, an event that honors memory, actuality and prophecy.
We live in a society that is at risk of losing its sense of memory.
Our age has an extraordinary ability to transmit information,
However, our ability to internalize it is increasingly weak.
Memory is often “outsourced” and readily available,
However, it is not always made our own and activated for the church.
On the other hand, memory is a living conscience.
It is not an accumulation of data, but rather a constant appeal to responsibility;
It is not nostalgia, but a foundation for prophecy in Christianity.
Memory has a unique character:
It celebrates God entry into history, because the Christian faith is based on historical facts and salvation. It is not just an idea, but the living person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The centenary of the military ordinariate for Italy is also part of this narrative, representing a tangible, memory of a specific history.
It is made up of men and women in uniform, they journeyed in the church, supported and accompanied by their pastors.
With sacrifice, courage and dedication, they contributed to the growth of this society in the bright days of peace and the dramatic days of war, sometimes at the cost of their lives.
In this context, the words of Pope Saint Paul VI ring true today.
History is not a reality to be endured, but a place of grace in which to build the civilization of love.
The centenary you are celebrating seeks to convey this message in the light of the Lord’s commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).
Your service is an act of love – towards the country, the territories and, most importantly, its people and it translates into tangible support, particularly in places and situations where vulnerability is greatest.
Dear military chaplains, you may therefore take to heart St Augustine’s exhortation to live the ministry as amoris officium (Love’s duty).
It is a loving service and commenting on the dialogue between the risen Jesus and Peter, Augustine writes: “if you love me, do not think of feeding yourself, but feed my sheep as mine, not as yours; seek in them my glory, not yours; my domain, not yours […].
In feeding his sheep, we do not seek our own interests, but his” (in Joannis Evangelium, 123, 5).
Many military chaplains have embodied these words making pastoral charity visible through heroic virtue and sometimes even to martyrdom.
Military chaplains often work in silence, in places of peace and conflict, on military grounds and in operational contexts, in chapels and field tents.
It is there that the Lord’s care for his flock is manifested through witnessing, proclaiming the Gospel, celebrating the Eucharist and the sacraments, active listening and spiritual accompaniment.
Particular importance is given to educational contexts such as academies, schools and training institutes where consciences are shaped.
In a society characterized by human mobility and cultural diversity, the chaplain promotes dialogue between peoples, cultures and religions, bearing witness to a Church that fosters unity.
His spiritual work thus promotes the common good and social peace, the fruits of which require patience, justice and charity (Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium, 217–221).
In the pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes, the Second Vatican Council states: ‘Men, as sinners, are and will always be under the threat of war until the coming of Christ; but insofar as they succeed in overcoming sin by uniting in love, they also overcome violence’ (n. 78).
The mission of the Christian soldier is situated within this context: defending the weak, protecting peaceful coexistence, intervening in disasters and working on international missions to preserve peace and restore order.
This cannot be reduced to a mere profession. It is a vocation.
It is a response to a call that challenges the conscience.
The identity of the soldier is forged through generosity, a spirit of service, lofty ideals and profound emotions.
However, these values require a foundation: the gift of grace, which fosters charity to the point of total self-sacrifice.
Therefore, it is necessary to instill the values of military life with the spirit of the Gospel, ensuring that the common good of peoples is always prioritized in the service of security and peace.
Forty years ago, with the apostolic constitution Spirituali Militum Curae, (Spiritual Care of Military Personnel), St. John Paul II established the military ordinariates as particular churches with with their own theological and organizational identity.
Addressing participants at the first Synod of Military Ordinariates on 6 May 1999, he emphasized the unique nature of this Church, which supports the military, their families, and all those involved in the armed forces and police services. During the Jubilee Year of 2000, Pope John Paul II addressed the military saying: “[you] are […] called to defend the weak, to protect the honest, to promote the peaceful coexistence of peoples. Each one of you befits the role of a sentinel, who looks far ahead to avert danger and promote justice and peace everywhere” (Homily at the mass for the jubilee of the military and police forces, November 19, 2000).
In the wake of the Second Vatican Council and the apostolic exhortations Evangelii Nuntiandi and Evangelii Gaudium, the Church proclaims the gospel of peace and is ready to collaborate with everyone to safeguard this universal good.
Through spiritual care, the military ordinariate for Italy wants to be an effective laboratory of God’s action on behalf of humanity and a space for formation to transition from amor sui to amor dei.
It is also the foundation of the Civitas Dei (City of God), in which the fundamental law is charity (St. Augustine, ‘De Civitate Dei’, 14:28), where peace is not only the absence of conflict, but also the fulfilment of justice, truth, and love.
carrying out your projects: the pastoral center, formation activities for chaplains and students, and particularly the Center for Advanced Studies in Spiritual Assistance. This center aims to promote interdisciplinary reflection on today’s world, the inculturation of faith, and the relationship between the Gospel and culture, science, and new technologies.
Dear friends, thank you for what you do!
I invoke the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace, and your patron saints upon all of you, your families, and your service. I cordially bless you all. Thank you!
