Pope Leo-Approved Vatican Note Says Missionaries Should ‘Wait’ for Others to Ask About Christ
The Vatican published a new interreligious document on September 16 that was formally approved by Pope Leo XIV and ordered for publication.
The note, titled A Journey of Hope: Sixty Years of Interreligious Dialogue and Fraternity in the Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, was issued jointly by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.
The document says interreligious dialogue is rooted in the Catholic Church’s evangelizing mission and states that it is not a matter of renouncing truth. It also draws a sharp distinction between evangelization and what it calls proselytism.
In one section, the note says a missionary may speak of Christ “by witness or by word,” but adds that this “has nothing to do with proselytism.” It says the missionary does not make demands or oblige others, but instead waits for them to inquire about the love that has filled the missionary’s life.
Later, the note says that viewing proselytism as the only way to engage people of other religions “no longer make[s] sense” in what it describes as an interconnected global village.
The document also says it is not proposing a single world religion and states that religious differences should remain, while calling for greater interreligious dialogue and cooperation.
The Vatican document states that Pope Leo XIV approved the note during a June 22 audience with the leaders of the three dicasteries and ordered its publication.
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Featured image: Dmitry Tomashek via Unsplash.
Sources
Vatican: A Journey of Hope, September 16, 2026
Renegade News reports and summarizes information from the cited sources. Links are provided so readers can review the original material.