In a meeting with future priests, Pope Leo XIV said celibacy is a charism “to be acknowledged, conserved and educated.”

The pontiff was speaking on Wednesday to seminarians from the dioceses in the Italian region Triveneto.

In his discourse, he looked at passage in Saint Augustine’s Confessions.

“On the one hand he was eager to decide for Christ; on the other, he was held back by scruples and temptations. Profoundly troubled, one day he retreated to reflect in the garden at home; and the personification of the virtue of Continence appeared to him, saying: ‘Why do you stand in your own strength, and so standest not? Cast yourself upon Him; fear not, He will not withdraw that you should fall; cast yourself upon Him without fear, He will receive you, and heal you’,” Leo said, quoting the saint’s book.

“As a father, I repeat these same words to you, which were so good for Augustine’s restless heart: They do not apply only with regard to celibacy, which is a charism to be acknowledged, conserved and educated, but can guide your entire journey of discernment and formation in ordained ministry,” he continued.

“In particular, these words invite you to have boundless trust in the Lord, the Lord who called you, renouncing the pretence of being sufficient for yourselves or of being able to do it alone. And this applies not only to the seminary years, but to your whole life: at all times, all the more so in those of desolation or even sin, repeat to yourselves the words of the psalmist: ‘I trust in God’s mercy forever and ever.’ The Word of God and the Sacraments are perennial sources from which you will always be able to draw new lymph for the spiritual life, and also for pastoral commitment,” the pontiff added.

Leo urged the seminarians to not think of themselves as “alone” or “by yourselves.”

“I invite you always to cultivate communion, first of all with your seminary companions. Have complete trust in your formators, without reserve or duplicity. And you, formators, be good companions to the seminarians entrusted to you: offer them the humble witness of your life and your faith; accompany them with sincere affection. Know that you are all supported by the Church, first and foremost in the person of the bishop,” he said.

He ended his speech by quoting the English writer, Father Robert Hugh Benson, who died in 1914.

Benson is most famous for the novel Lord of the World, which was about the end of creation and was often spoken about by Pope Francis. However, Leo quoted the priest about his conversion to Catholicism, where Benson said in his book The Friendship of Christ: “If there is anything clear in the Gospels it is this – that Jesus Christ first and foremost desires our friendship. … Now the consciousness of this friendship of Jesus Christ is the very secret of the Saints.”

Leo concurred.

“Indeed, encountering Jesus saves our life and gives us the strength and the joy to communicate the Gospel to everyone,” the pope said.

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