Pope calls on priests of the Sacred Heart Church to give a credible testimony that requires concrete acts of love

By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis welcomed the priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonians) to the Vatican on Thursday and reminded them of their founder’s call to make “unity with Christ in his love for the Father and for all people the principle and center” of their lives.

Members of the Order are in Rome for their 25th General Chapter with the theme “Called to unity in a changing world: ‘So that the world may believe.’”

In his remarks, Pope Francis focused on two aspects of this theme: unity and evangelization.

‘To be one’

The Holy Father began by reminding the religious that unity is a gift that we cannot achieve on our own, although we must nevertheless do our part to achieve it.

He encouraged priests to give priority to the sacramental life, to meditate on Sacred Scripture and, above all, to devote themselves to personal and communal prayer. He urged them to make room for Jesus, whose heart “beats eternally with love for us”, and invited them to bring everything into his presence, reminding them that “without prayer nothing can be achieved”.

“So that the world believes in it”

Regarding the mission of proclaiming the Gospel, Pope Francis asked: “How can we be missionaries today in a world marked by immense and complex challenges?”

He recalled the words of the order’s founder, Father Leon Dehon, who, while meditating on the Passion of Jesus, realized that all of Jesus’ suffering was a consequence of his love for the Father and for all of humanity.

“Here lies the secret of a credible and effective proclamation,” said Pope Francis: “By allowing, like Jesus, the word ‘love’ to be written on our flesh, that is, in the concreteness of our actions.”

The Holy Father concluded his reflections with the hope that the Sacred Heart Fathers may continue their mission with the same faith and generosity that inspired their founder.