The recent address by Pope Leo XIV shows profound points of contact with the spirituality of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, opening new perspectives for the ecclesial understanding of her experience.
Recently, the Holy Father concluded the Conference promoted by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints on “Mysticism, Mystical Phenomena, and Holiness” (November 10–13, 2025). He gave a speech that, with surprising clarity, recalled some fundamental tenets of the spirituality lived and witnessed by the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta. The Pope emphasized in his speech that true mystical life does not depend primarily on extraordinary manifestations, but on the quality of one's union with God and, in particular, on the conformity of the human heart to His Will. Authentic mysticism, he said, arises from the awareness of the “intimate union of love with God”[1] and finds its measure not in exceptional phenomena, but in daily fidelity to the divine will[2].
According to the Pontiff, even visions, ecstasies, dark nights, or other singular events that may accompany the lives of some mystics are by no means decisive criteria for holiness; on the contrary, they must always be evaluated with prudence and discernment. What really matters is “full and constant conformity to the will of God.” In fact, this constitutes the substance of the mystical experience and, at the same time, its most mature ecclesial fruit[3]. Referring to St. Teresa of Avila, the Pope recalled that “the highest perfection” does not consist in revelations or special phenomena, but in the perfect union between the human will and the divine will[4].
These words resonate deeply in the heart of the "Association Luisa Piccarreta Little Children of the Divine Will" which for years, has been promoting knowledge and life according to the divine will, inspired by the writings of Luisa Piccarreta. In fact, Luisa’s spirituality does not merely exhort Christians to do God’s will; it invites them to “live” in it, making it the very principle of their spiritual life and, in a certain sense, their deepest identity. In Luisa’s writings, living in the Divine Will means embracing a gift: participating, with their own freedom, in divine life itself, allowing God's Will to become the light, strength, and breath of the soul[5]. It is a spirituality that does not arise from external phenomena but from a continuous inner transformation. Through this transformation, the humanity of the believer is united with the humanity of Christ to such an extent that the actions of the creature are harmonized with those of Jesus, in the simplicity of daily life[6].
It is therefore significant that the Pope shifted his attention from the exceptional to the essential, precisely in a speech dedicated to mysticism. This shift in focus—from the phenomenon to the content, from the exterior to the heart of the mystery—seems to create a natural bridge with the path proposed by Luisa Piccarreta. Even the Servant of God, despite her profound mystical experiences, never emphasized the extraordinary aspects, but always brought everything back to the centrality of the Divine Will: the only true protagonist of her spiritual life.
For this reason, the Pope's recent teaching can be read as a valuable opportunity for the entire spiritual family linked to the Divine Will. On the one hand, this teaching calls everyone to a serious, theologically grounded, and ecclesially obedient study of Luisa's writings. On the other hand, it points to the space—vast and luminous—in which the spirituality of the Divine Will can be fully understood: that of union with God through His Will, the heart of Christian holiness. In this sense, his words seem to open a path: not an immediate and definitive confirmation, but an encouragement to continue with confidence, humility, and discernment on the path toward an ever clearer ecclesial acceptance of Luisa's spiritual mission.
Therefore, the Pope's speech appears as an invitation to hope. If the criterion of holiness is conformity to the divine Will, then Luisa's spirituality—focused precisely on living this conformity in a radical, loving, and filial way—speaks a language that is deeply in tune with the sensibility of today's Church. For the Little Children of the Divine Will, this is a call to persevere in prayer, to nourish themselves with the Word of God, to live the life of the Church with simplicity and fidelity, and to allow themselves to be formed by the authoritative teaching of the Magisterium. Living in the Divine Will means, in fact, allowing oneself to be transformed by love - and authentic love does not fear the light of ecclesial discernment, but desires it.
May the Pope's words then become a renewed encouragement to live more deeply in the Divine Will, to humbly cherish the gift we received, and to walk together with the Church, in the certainty that every seed sown in God's Will always grows toward fullness.
Father Vincenzo Bovino
[1] Pope Leo XIV, Address at the Congress on "Mysticism, mystical phenomena, and holiness," November 13, 2025 - Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid; cf. Vatican News, report of the Holy Father's final address (November 13, 2025).
[4] Ibid; quotation from St. Teresa of Avila on “the highest perfection.”
[5] Cf. Luisa Piccarreta Official Website, “Spirituality” section, presentation on living in the Divine Will.
[6] Ibid.