(Editor’s note: This is an abridged version of the Holy Father’s message for World Mission Sunday 2026. Read the full text at https://bit.ly/4zi5bPO)

Dear brothers and sisters,
For World Mission Day 2026, I have chosen the theme ‘One in Christ, united in mission.’ I wish to encourage the whole Church to continue its missionary journey with joy and zeal in the Holy Spirit.
One in Christ – Missionary disciples united in him and with our brothers and sisters
The mystery of union with Christ lies at the heart of mission. Before his Passion, Jesus prayed to the Father, ‘that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us’ (John 17:21). These words reveal Jesus’ deepest desire, as well as the identity of the Church as a community of his disciples. That is, a communion … at the service of fraternity among all human beings and in harmony with all creation.
The Church’s primary missionary responsibility is to renew and sustain spiritual and fraternal unity among its members. The evangelising mission that Christ entrusted to his disciples requires, above all, hearts that are reconciled and eager for communion.
Being ‘one in Christ’ calls us to keep our gaze fixed on the Lord, so that he may truly be at the centre of our lives and communities, the centre of every word, action and interpersonal relationship, leading us to say with amazement: ‘It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20).
Therefore, the more united we are in Christ, the better able we will be to carry out the mission that he entrusts to us.
United in mission – That the world may believe in Christ the Lord
The unity of disciples is not an end in itself; it is directed towards mission. Jesus states this clearly: ‘So that the world may believe that you have sent me’ (John 17:21). It is through the witness of a reconciled, fraternal and united community that the proclamation of the Gospel acquires its full communicative power.
No baptised person is exempt from or indifferent to mission: everyone … participates in the great work that Christ has entrusted to his Church.
I would like to thank Missio (the Pontifical Mission Societies) for their service to missionary cooperation, which I experienced with gratitude during my ministry in Peru. Missio continues to nurture and form missionary awareness for the faithful of all ages, and to promote a network of prayer and charity that connects communities throughout the world. The annual offerings collected on this day are distributed by Missio on behalf of the Pope, to support the various needs of the Church’s mission.
The global Missio network plays a valuable role for the entire Church. They are a living sign of unity and ecclesial missionary communion. I invite everyone to work with them in a spirit of gratitude.
LEO PP XIV
Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul