On the role and vocation of the Laity

1. Pope Pius XII
   “The faithful, more precisely the laity, find themselves on the front lines of the Church’s life; for them, the Church is the animating principle of human society. Therefore, they in particular ought to have an ever-clearer consciousness, not only of belonging to the Church but of being the Church… the laity are the Church.”
   • Address at the Second World Congress of the Lay Apostolate, October 5, 1957
2. Pope Paul VI
   “The laity can also feel called, or be in fact called, to cooperate with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its growth and life… It is, above all, for lay persons to seek the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will.”
   • Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, December 8, 1975, §70
3. Pope John Paul II
   “The lay faithful are called by God to exercise their proper role in the mission of the entire people of God in the Church and in the world. They are to make the Church present and fruitful in those places and circumstances where only through them can it become the salt of the earth.”
   • Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, December 30, 1988, §15
4. Pope Benedict XVI
   “The faithful need to be aware of their own responsibilities within the ecclesial community… to bring the light and joy of the Gospel wherever they are.”
   • Address to the Italian Bishops’ Conference, May 27, 2010
5. Pope Francis
   “I would like to remind the laity that this mission calls them to put their creativity at the service of the challenges of today’s world… They are men and women who work for the Kingdom of God.”
   • Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, November 24, 2013, §102

Quotes from recent Popes on the role of the Laity in evangelisation

1. Pope Paul VI
   “The Church exists in order to evangelise… the lay faithful, in particular, fulfill this role by witnessing to Christ in all spheres of human activity.”
   • Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, December 8, 1975, §14
2. Pope John Paul II
   “The call to mission is inherent in the call to belong to Christ and in the call to be members of His Church. The lay faithful… have the specific mission of engaging in temporal affairs and ordering them according to the plan of God.”
   • Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, December 30, 1988, §15
3. Pope Benedict XVI
   “The time has come for a new generation of apostles, anchored firmly in the Word of Christ… The lay faithful should consider it their duty to bring the message of Christ into the world, particularly in environments that are often indifferent or even hostile to it.”
   • Address to the Sixth Ordinary Assembly of the International Forum of Catholic Action, August 10, 2012
4. Pope Francis
   “The new evangelization is an invitation to each of us… lay people are, put simply, the vast majority of the people of God. The laity are on the front line of the Church’s life; we need their witness regarding the truth of the Gospel.”
   • Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, November 24, 2013, §119
5. Pope Francis
   “Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus… So what are we waiting for?”
   • Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, November 24, 2013, §120

These quotes illustrate the unique role of the laity in spreading the Gospel and witnessing to Christ in everyday life and diverse cultural contexts.

Here are quotes from recent Popes emphasizing the laity’s role in sanctifying the secular world

1. Pope Paul VI
   “The laity must take on the renewal of the temporal order as their own special obligation… animated by the spirit of Christ, they must work to restore and sanctify the world.”

• Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, December 8, 1975, §70

1. Pope John Paul II
   “The vocation of the lay faithful to holiness implies that life according to the Spirit… can and must be lived in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, at work and in the midst of the world… It is in the world itself that they must evangelize and sanctify.”

• Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, December 30, 1988, §17

1. Pope Benedict XVI
   “The lay faithful are called to contribute to the sanctification of the world, as from within like leaven, by fulfilling their own particular duties in the spirit of the Gospel and manifesting Christ to others, especially by the witness of a life resplendent in faith, hope, and charity.”

• Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, February 22, 2007, §79

1. Pope Francis
   “It is precisely the lay state which… enables the laity to live their faith in the midst of secular affairs, to be a leaven of Christian values in society, to bring the light and joy of Christ wherever they are.”

• Message to the Pontifical Council for the Laity, August 17, 2013

1. Pope Francis
   “We need lay people who take risks, who dirty their hands, who are not afraid of making mistakes, who go forward… The laity, precisely because of their secular character, can bring the light of the Gospel to secular affairs and to the public sphere.”

• Address at the Vigil of Pentecost with Ecclesial Movements, May 18, 2013

These quotes reflect the Popes’ encouragement for the laity to sanctify secular spheres, showing that their mission involves transforming society through a Christian witness rooted in daily life.

Here are quotes from recent Popes emphasizing that the lay vocation is equal in dignity to the priesthood and religious life, highlighting the unique contributions of laypersons to the Church’s mission:

1. Pope John Paul II
   “There cannot be two parallel lives in their existence: on the one hand, the so-called ‘spiritual’ life, with its values and demands; and on the other, the so-called ‘secular’ life… The lay vocation is a genuine and irreplaceable form of ministry in the Church, on equal standing with other vocations.”

• Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, December 30, 1988, §59

1. Pope Benedict XVI
   “The laity, by their specific vocation, are called to make the Church present and operative in those places and circumstances where only through them can it become the salt of the earth… The vocation of the lay faithful is as important as that of priests and religious.”

• Message for the 6th World Meeting of Families, January 16, 2009

1. Pope Francis
   “The laity are part of the holy People of God, and therefore they are protagonists of the Church and of the world; we are all called to participate in the mission of the Church. They are not ‘second class’ members.”

• General Audience, March 15, 2017

1. Pope Francis
   “There is no need, therefore, to ‘clericalize’ the laity. It is enough to let them work within their proper vocation, one which is no less than that of those who are ordained.”

• Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, November 24, 2013, §102

1. Pope Francis
   “Being a layperson does not mean you are ‘second class’… The lay state itself is, in its own way, a vocation, which is no less than any other state of life.”

• Address to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, March 4, 2016

These statements from recent Popes make clear that the lay vocation holds equal dignity and importance within the Church, affirming its distinct, necessary role in the Church’s life and mission.