His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
Vatican City
Your Holiness,
On behalf of Cardijn Community Australia, we offer our heartfelt congratulations on your election as the 267th Bishop of Rome and Successor of Saint Peter. We join with the universal Church in celebrating this historic moment, as you become the first citizen of the United States, the first North American, and the first Augustinian to assume the papacy.
We were especially delighted to learn that your parents were members of the Christian Family Movement in Chicago. As a fellow Cardijn lay-inspired movement rooted in the vision of Vatican II, we share deep spiritual kinship with CFM, which—like our own tradition—seeks to form lay apostles who live their faith in family life, work, and society. It is deeply encouraging to know that the seeds of your vocation were nourished in a home shaped by such active and prayerful lay engagement.
We are also inspired by your long and faithful service to the Church—from your pastoral beginnings in Chicago, through your missionary commitment in Peru, and your leadership at the heart of the Church’s discernment of bishops. Your life bears witness to a deep and enduring care for the poor, the marginalised, and the suffering—those whose voices too often go unheard. This resonates profoundly with our own vocation, as a lay community inspired by the life and mission of Cardinal Joseph Cardijn.
Your inaugural greeting, “Peace be with you,” spoke with quiet power to the hope and longing of our age. Your vision of peace—disarming, humble, and enduring—is a call to conversion, reminding us that peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but the fruit of justice, solidarity, and love. This message speaks directly to the spirit of the Cardijn movement, which seeks to transform the world through faith lived in action.
Your emphasis on building bridges, fostering dialogue, and walking together as one people echoes the heart of our method for communal discernment and decision-making: See, Judge, Act. You have reminded us that unity does not demand uniformity, but rather an openness to encounter, to listening, and to accompaniment. In your words and witness, we see a Church committed to synodality, inclusion, and the dignity of all.
As we mark the centenary of the Young Christian Workers movement this year, your call to be close to those who suffer—especially the poor, migrants, and the young—encourages us to renew our mission with greater zeal and hope. We are especially moved by your desire for a Church that journeys with others, grounded in peace, charity, and faithful service.
Please be assured of our prayers and support as you begin your ministry. May your papacy be a time of deep renewal for the People of God, and a beacon of hope for the world.
With filial affection and in communion with the whole Church,
Mark Ager
Cardijn Community Australia
12 May 2025