Pope to Poor Clare nuns: Vocations are born from community’s prayer

By Devin Watkins Pope Leo XIV met on Monday with a delegation from the Federation of Capuchin Poor Clare Nuns of Italy. Reflecting on St. Paul’s invitation for Christians to “lead a life worthy” of their calling, the Pope encouraged the nuns to live faithfully through contemplative prayer, poverty, and complete adherence to the Gospel. He upheld their work to revise their Constitutions, which reaffirm the duty of religious sisters to aspire to “assiduous union with God in prayer.” Quoting St. Clare’s letter to St. Agnes of Bohemia, the Pope said they must place their “mind before the mirror of eternity,” looking beyond their cloisters and today’s tragedies to the future with hope.

The decline in religious vocations, he noted, could lead some religious communities to turn inwards. However, he added, vocational challenges can instead offer the Church a chance to rediscover “the quality of what is offered.” Fewer religious in communities, he said, “should encourage a renewal of your way of life and an even greater commitment to the spiritual accompaniment of those who knock at the doors of convents, helping joyful and vibrant communities to grow, where people can experience intimacy with God, kindness, communion, and authentic relationships.” God, he said, does not ask us to be flawless but to open ourselves to His grace in humility. “Vocations