Vatican Puts the Kerygma First Amid a Faith Crisis
Approved by Pope Leo XIV in August, the text names family, adult evangelization, and liturgy as keys after an epochal cultural shift.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published Venite ad Me, a text of more than 25,000 words devoted to the transmission of the Christian faith, on October 22, 2026. Pope Leo XIV approved the document on August 21. It is signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the dicastery.
Presented as "considerations" rather than a doctrinal note, the publication addresses a crisis in the intergenerational transmission of the Christian faith. That crisis unfolds amid secularization, the breakdown of families, and the pervasive influence of digital technologies.
The dicastery calls for a renewed emphasis on the kerygma, the first proclamation of Christ, as the foundation for meeting the changed conditions in which the faith must now be handed on.
The Family and the Evangelization of Adults
Venite ad Me insists that the family remains the "first and most essential place" for the transmission of the faith. It notes, however, that this transmission has been interrupted in many places. Where the domestic church is weakened, children and adolescents often receive little more than fragmentary contact with Christian belief and practice.
The document therefore urges greater attention to the evangelization of adults alongside the continuing catechesis of the young. Adult formation and conversion appear indispensable if the faith is again to take root across generations.
Liturgy, Beauty, and Ecclesial Responsibility
The considerations present the liturgy as "living memory and tradition," the privileged setting in which the faith is celebrated and interiorized. They underline the role of beauty and of music in attracting people to the Gospel and the importance of personal testimonies of lived faith.
The text also points to expanded opportunities for women in ecclesial leadership as part of the Church's effort to transmit the faith in the present age.
Venite ad Me draws on contributions from multiple bishops' conferences. It will help shape the work of the International Theological Commission. The document engages Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on artificial intelligence and responds to a request first made by the late Pope Francis for a serious examination of how the Church passes on the faith today.