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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thedialog.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/21144321\/20260921T1000-POPE-LEO-TURIBIUS-MOGROVEJO-MESSAGE-1826556-scaled.jpg\" "\\"POPE")
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Pope Leo XIV reminded Latin American bishops that true shepherds go out and care for their flock rather than lead from behind a desk.<\/p>\n
In a letter dated Sept. 8 and addressed to the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, the pope cited the example of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, the Spanish missionary bishop who evangelized Peru in the 16th century, and urged them to place the good of the faithful above all else.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertain aspects of a diocese are hard to grasp from behind a desk,\u201d the pope wrote. \u201cFor this reason, we must ensure that pastoral visits retain their vitality: let us personally go out to meet our communities, listen to our flock and seek out those who seldom have the opportunity to approach the bishop.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA bishop\u2019s ministry, he added, \u201cdemands living with our heart in heaven and our feet on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope\u2019s letter, sent to mark the third centenary of St. Turibius\u2019 canonization, was released by the Vatican Sept. 19.<\/p>\n
In his message, Pope Leo expressed his gratitude for his episcopal ministry in Peru, noting that there he \u201ccame to know first-hand the faith of a people from whom I received so much, and I came to understand better what it means to be a shepherd.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat experience brought me particularly close to Saint Turibius, who also came from afar to a land that he eventually made his own through pastoral charity,\u201d the pope wrote.<\/p>\n
Drawing a parallel between the life of the Spanish missionary and the liturgical rite of welcoming a new bishop to his cathedral church, the pope said that what \u201cthe liturgy expresses in a few gestures, the Apostle of the Andes brought to life throughout his years as a shepherd.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSaint Turibius arrived in a land whose peoples and customs were largely unknown to him,\u201d the pope explained. \u201cIn order to shepherd them, he had to immerse himself in that culture by traveling throughout the region. His pastoral visits and his desire for the Gospel to be proclaimed in the local languages gradually strengthened his bond with that land and its people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recalling the rite in which a bishop receives a crucifix and kisses it at the entrance of the cathedral, Pope Leo said the gesture \u201cholds a promise of self-sacrifice,\u201d including the possibility that the episcopal ministry \u201cmay lead him down paths he had not anticipated and require sacrifices he may never have imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cross reminds him that he must remain with the flock when difficult times come, and that protecting the sheep may come at a price for the shepherd himself,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
St. Turibius, he continued, embraced that aspect through \u201chis travels and hardships as he defended the indigenous peoples, corrected abuses and remained close to the poor and those who suffered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Exhorting the bishops<\/a> to \u201creturn frequently to the school of the cross,\u201d Pope Leo warned that abandoning one\u2019s flock can happen \u201clong before any visible flight,\u201d especially when \u201ccomfort, fear or self-interest take precedence over the good of the faithful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe hired hand calculates what he might lose; the shepherd knows that he must give something of himself to remain faithful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Continuing his explanation of the rite, Pope Leo said the act of a bishop sprinkling himself and the congregation with holy water brings him \u201cback to the common source of Baptism.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBefore being a shepherd, he is a disciple; before presiding over the People of God, he counts himself among the baptized who are made children in Christ. The holiness of the shepherd cannot be taken for granted,\u201d he wrote, urging bishops to nurture their interior life and \u201cremain aware that we are disciples in need of conversion.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, he added, the rite includes the bishop kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, which serves as a reminder that while \u201cbishops come and go, Christ always remains.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPastors change, new challenges arise, and projects unfold, but the Church lives in the Lord,\u201d the pope wrote. \u201cFor this reason, I would invite you to make Eucharistic adoration a pastoral priority.\u201d<\/p>\n Noting St. Turibius\u2019 love for the Eucharist, which was \u201cexpressed in his concern for bringing everyone closer to Jesus,\u201d Pope Leo asked bishops to offer the faithful time and space before the Blessed Sacrament and \u201cencourage prolonged adoration.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am convinced that the Lord\u2019s holy presence, faithfully welcomed and adored, sustains what our own strength cannot achieve and opens paths that no plan can conceive. It will be his love that transforms our dioceses,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n