VATICAN (OSV News): On October 22, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released Venite ad Me [Come to Me], addressing the challenge of passing on the Christian faith during a time of “epochal change” marked by a “crisis in its intergenerational transmission.
Signed by prefect, Víctor Manuel Cardinal Fernández, the document responds to a request first made by the late Pope Francis and was approved for publication by Pope Leo XIV after an August 21 audience.
Venite ad Me was written in response to a request first made by the late Pope Francis toward the end of his life and was approved for publication by Pope Leo XIV during an August 21 audience with Cardinal Fernandez and Monsignor Armando Matteo, the secretary for the dicastery’s doctrinal section.
Spanning over 25,000 words in eight chapters, the document addresses the crisis in faith transmission amid cultural shifts, family breakdown, and digital technology, emphasising the need to communicate the “kerygma,” the core proclamation of Christ’s salvation.
It also engages with themes from Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on artificial intelligence.
It highlights the importance of liturgy, beauty, and personal witness. Personal testimonies include stories of transformation from addiction and encounters with faith through social media
The text urges the Church to focus on evangelising adults and catechising youth, noting that in many regions, fewer parents are introducing their children to the Gospel.
It highlights the importance of liturgy, beauty, and personal witness. Personal testimonies include stories of transformation from addiction and encounters with faith through social media.
Described as “a set of considerations” rather than doctrinal note, the document aims to stimulate reflection and pastoral commitment regarding faith transmission.
“The text examines a variety of points of view without, however, claiming to settle the matter, which remains open to further analysis and development. This means that these considerations are not marked, as are other documents of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, by terminological precision and systematic treatment, but instead allow a more discursive style, as is especially evident in the section on personal testimonies mentioned above,” the text states in its introduction.
Many bishops’ conferences contributed, offering testimonies for the final chapter.
Venite ad Me identifies the family as the primary place for transmitting faith, but acknowledges this process has been interrupted in many parts of the world.
The liturgy is highlighted as formative, with a call for pastors to emphasise the richness of Catholic tradition.
Liturgy is described as living tradition, shaping Christians capable of bearing witness to salvation and connecting them to the Church’s history.
The document encourages special attention to music as a missionary tool, using beauty to attract people to the faith, especially where words fall short.
It discusses the importance of homilies, volunteer work, and the need to expand leadership roles for women in the Church, noting ongoing study of the topic.
Venite ad Me will serve as a starting point for the International Theological Commission, which will study cultural forms of faith transmission over the next five years. Pope Leo recently appointed 24 new members to the commission.
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