Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

This morning, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the communities of four Spanish seminaries: Alcalá de Henares , Toledo , Inderdiocesan of Cataluña , and Cartagena.

The following is the address delivered by the Pope during the meeting:

 

Address of the Holy Father

Dear brothers in the episcopate, priests and seminarians, Your Eminence, priests, seminarians and family members,

The seminary is always a sign of hope for the Church; hence, meeting with you — both those who are going through this stage and those who are responsible for accompanying you — is a source of true joy for me.

I could speak about many important aspects of your formation, which I have already had the chance to write about in the letter I sent to the Seminary of Saint Charles and Saint Marcellus in Trujillo, Peru — an institution I belonged to for several years — and which I would encourage you to read when you have the opportunity. But today I would like to focus on something that silently underpins everything else and which, precisely for that reason, runs the risk of being taken for granted without being cultivated: having a supernatural view of reality.

There is a quote from the author Chesterton that can serve as a key to understanding everything I would like to share with you: “Take away the supernatural, and what remains is the unnatural” (cf. Heretics , VI). Man is not made to live closed in on himself, but in a living relationship with God. When that relationship is obscured or weakened, life begins to fall into disorder from within. The unnatural is not only the scandalous; it is enough to live without God in daily life, leaving him out of the criteria and decisions with which we face existence.

And if this is true for every Christian, it is particularly serious on the path of formation towards the priesthood. What could be more unnatural than a seminarian or priest who speaks of God with familiarity but lives inwardly as if God’s presence existed only in words and not in the depth of life? Nothing would be more dangerous than becoming accustomed to the things of God without living from God. That is why, ultimately, everything begins—and always returns—to a living and concrete relationship with the One who has chosen us without any merit on our part.

Having a supernatural view does not mean fleeing from reality, but learning to recognize God's action in the concrete reality of each day; a vision that cannot be improvised or delegated, but must be learned and exercised in the ordinary course of life. Precisely for this reason, if supernatural view is so decisive for Christian life, it is even more so for those who will act in persona Christi , and from the formative stage onwards it deserves to be nurtured with special attention, because it is the principle that gives unity to everything else.

This believing outlook on reality needs to be translated every day into concrete choices in life; otherwise, even intrinsically good practises – such as study, prayer, community life – can become empty and distorted, becoming mere fulfilment. A simple and proven way to safeguard this view is to practise the presence of God , which keeps the heart awake and life constantly focused on Him.

Sacred Scripture expresses this truth with a simple image in the first psalm, when it describes the righteous as “a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (v. 3). It is not fruitful because of an absence of difficulties, but because of the place where it has taken root. Wind, winter, drought, and pruning are all part of its growth, but neither storm nor drought can destroy it when its roots are deep and close to the source. Scripture itself, however, recognizes the paradox of the fig tree that does not bear fruit despite the care it receives (cf. Lk 13:6-9).

It is said that trees “die standing”: they remain upright, they retain their appearance, but inside they are already dry. Something similar can happen in the life of a seminary or of a seminarian — and later in the life of a priest – when fruitfulness is mistaken for the intensity of activities or with merely external care for appearances. Spiritual life does not bear fruit because of what is visible, but because of what is deeply rooted in God. When that root is neglected, everything ends up drying up inside, until, silently, it ends up “dying standing upright”.

Deep down, the supernatural gaze springs from the simplest and most decisive aspect of vocation: being with the Master. Jesus called those he wanted “to be with him” ( Mk 3:14). That is the foundation of all priestly formation: staying with Him and allowing oneself to be formed from within; seeing God at work and recognizing how He works in one’s own life and in that of His people. Therefore, although human means, psychology and formative tools are valuable and necessary, they cannot replace this relationship. The true agent of this journey is the Holy Spirit, who shapes the heart, teaches us to respond to grace and prepares us for a fruitful life in the service of the Church. Everything begins now, in the ordinary routine of each day, where each one decides whether to remain with the Lord or to try to sustain oneself by one’s own strength alone.

Dear sons, I thank you, on behalf of the Church, for the generosity of having decided to follow the Lord. Do so always with the certainty that you do not walk alone: Christ goes before you, Mary Most Holy accompanies you, and the entire Church supports you with her prayers. Finally, I would like to give special thanks to all the families present here.

Confident in this certainty, move forward with peace and fidelity. May the Lord bless you. Thank you very much.

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in Malta

Resignation and succession of metropolitan archbishop of Conakry, Guinea

 

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in Malta

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Wojciech Załuski, titular of Diocletiana, hitherto apostolic nuncio in Malaysia and Timor Leste and apostolic delegate in Brunei Darussalam, as apostolic nuncio in Malta.

 

Resignation and succession of metropolitan archbishop of Conakry, Guinea

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan archdiocese of Conakry, Guinea, presented by Archbishop Vincent Coulibaly. He is succeeded by Archbishop François Sylla, hitherto coadjutor archbishop of the same metropolitan see.

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- His Excellency Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, special envoy of the President of the Republic of Cuba, and entourage;

- Mr. Giuseppe Contaldo, national president of “Renewal in the Holy Spirit”;

- A delegation from the World Council of Churches;

- Bishop Carlos Alberto Godoy Labraña of Osorno, Chile;

- Seminarians from several dioceses in Spain, with their family members;

- His Eminence Cardinal Lazarus Heung-sik You, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy;

- Bishop Erik Varden, O.C.S.O., prelate of Trondheim, Norway, preacher of the Spiritual Exercises.

Appointment of bishop of Agboville, Cote d’Ivoire

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Assandé Darius Ekou, until now rector of the parish-sanctuary Saint Famille de Nazareth and director of the Saint Kizito d’Abengourou diocesan Centre, as bishop of the diocese of Agboville, Cote d’Ivoire.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Assandé Darius Ekou was born on 27 April 1968 in Bongouanou, in the diocese of Abengourou. He studied philosophy and theology at the Saint Cœur de Marie Major Seminary in Anyama.

He was ordained a priest on 7 September 1996.

After ordination, he first served as vicar at the Cathedral of Sainte Thérèse de l’Enfant Jésus in Abengourou (1996-1998), head of the quasi-parish Saint Bernadette d’Ebilassokro (1998-2001), and vicar of Sacré Cœur in Koun-Abronso (2001-2001). He studied for a doctorate in the social doctrine of the Church at the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome (2002-2009), and provided pastoral service at the parish of San Lorenzo Martire in Formello (diocese of Civita Castellana) and at the Abbey Sanctuary of Montevergine (diocese of Avellino) (2002-2009), secretary of the Curia of Abengourou (2009-2010), parish priest of Sacré Cœur in Arrah (2010-2011), parish priest of Notre Dame de la Paix in Abengourou-Plateau (2011-2014), parish priest of Christ Roi in Abengourou (2014), episcopal vicar for the Sector of Moronou and the Central Sector of Abengourou, director of diocesan Catholic Works and diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (2011-2014), professor (2011-2014) and rector (2014-2025) of the Grande Séminaire Notre Dame de Guessihio-Gagnoa , rector of the parish-sanctuary of Sainte Famille de Nazareth and director of the Saint Kizito diocesan centre of Abengourou (since 2025).

Within the Episcopal Conference of Cote d’Ivoire, he is a member of the Commission for the Clergy, Seminaries and vocational pastoral care.

The following are the words of the Holy Father Leo XIV at the end of the Spiritual Exercises:

 

Before concluding this week of spiritual exercises and retreat, I have the pleasure – a moment of blessing – of being able to say thank you above all to our preacher who has accompanied and helped us during these days to have a profound spiritual experience, very important in our Lenten journey, starting on Sunday with “ The temptations ” and reflecting on the example, the witness of Saint Bernard, monastic life and many other elements of life in the Church.

I must acknowledge that personally I found myself particularly invited to reflect in some moments. For example, this morning, when we spoke about the election of Pope Eugene III and Saint Bernard said: “What have you done? God have mercy on you”.

Then this chapel – let me tell you – on 8 May, when we were gathered here for the Eucharistic celebration. Above it is the inscription from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, which says these words: “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. So, in this context and in this spirit of communion, we are all gathered here working together, though sometimes very separately, and I think that being together in prayer is also a very important moment in our lives, reflecting on many issues that are important for our lives and for the Church.

I do not intend to review the whole week, but rather to share a few elements. For example, the reference to the Doctor of the Church John Henry Newman and the poem “The Dream of Gerontius”, where Newman uses the death and judgement of Gerontius as a prism through which the reader is led to contemplate his own fear of death and his own sense of unworthiness before God.

There are other elements such as freedom and truth, which are so important in our lives. And in all this, this evening, with my reflection on hope and on the true source of hope, which is Christ, I returned to reread the Letter to the Philippians. In the continuation of the text, written above, where Paul says: “If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labour to me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith”. And then he says, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ”.

Here is the invitation at the end of these days of prayer and reflection, which the very Word of God addresses to all of us: “Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ”.

On behalf of everyone present, then, I thank Monsignor Varden, for all that he has offered to us in these days. His wisdom, his witness and that of the monastic life of Saint Bernard, the richness of his reflections, will continue for a long time to be for us a source of blessing, of grace, of encounter with Jesus Christ.

I would also like, at this time, to thank the collaborators of the Office of Liturgical Celebrations who prepared all the material for our prayer, as well as the choir, who I believe are still present. Thank you for helping us with the music, which is so important in our prayer. Music – I believe Monsignor Varden said this at some point – helps us in a way that words cannot, lifting our spirits to the Lord.

So thank you, thank you all very much for your presence and participation during these days. We can conclude with the blessing.

Blessing

Good evening, and thank you all.