Throughout the week, presentations and workshops highlighted a significant shift in missionary understanding: moving from seeing the poor as passive recipients of charity to recognizing them as protagonists, teachers, and witnesses of God’s presence. True mission calls for fraternity, spiritual openness, and a Spirit-led presence that walks alongside those on the margins to uphold human dignity.

The seminar opened by emphasizing mission as participation in God’s work rather than merely a human project. In his welcome address, SEDOS President Fr. Alain Mayama, CSSp, introduced the concept of hospitalitas—a mutual and transformative hospitality in which the missionary becomes both guest and host. He challenged missionaries to move beyond paternalistic approaches and embrace a shared life with the vulnerable, recognizing that evangelization and social justice belong together.

Archbishop Samuele Sangalli, Adjunct Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization, delivered the keynote address, “Missione come Dipendenza da Dio e Solidarietà con gli Emarginati.” Reflecting on Nicene theology and Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Dilexit Nos, he presented mission as a reflection of God’s self-giving love. He identified three priorities for the Church today: strengthening formation in young Churches, promoting financial sustainability through responsible stewardship, and providing psycho-spiritual support for pastoral workers serving in contexts marked by conflict and trauma.

Several speakers explored practical approaches to missionary renewal. Sr. Lieve Stragier, ICM, presented “Conversation in the Spirit” as a method of communal discernment that fosters listening, dialogue, and Spirit-guided decision-making. Fr. Dinh Anh Nhue Nguyen, Secretary General of the Pontifical Missionary Union, reflected on the importance of encounter, fraternity, and simplicity in responding to material, digital, and existential forms of poverty.

Fr. Edgardo A. Guzman, CMF, offered a theological reflection on the preferential option for the poor, drawing from Latin American theology and emphasizing that the Church must not only serve the poor but also allow itself to be evangelized by them.

Participants were particularly moved by testimonies from missionaries serving among vulnerable communities. Sr. Anicette Lantokpôde, OLA, shared her ministry with migrant women and victims of human trafficking, while Fr. Vincent Anes, CMF, presented initiatives addressing social and environmental challenges in India through the “See-Judge-Act” approach. Sr. Paola Vizzotto, PIME, highlighted the realities of prison ministry and the importance of restorative justice, while Fr. Massimo Vedova, FMC, spoke about accompanying street children and youth in urban settings.

Discussions in language groups revealed a shared conviction that mission today requires deeper listening, authentic fraternity, and genuine solidarity with the “new poor.” Participants emphasized that missionary credibility begins with lived fraternity within communities and a willingness to journey alongside those who are marginalized.

In his synthesis and closing reflections, Fr. Alain Mayama reiterated the call to hospitalitas and reminded participants that all mission depends ultimately on God. He encouraged missionaries to cultivate prayer, collaboration, and spiritual resilience in responding to the realities of suffering and exclusion.

The seminar concluded with a renewed awareness that mission is rooted in trust in God and expressed through solidarity with those on the peripheries. By moving from “doing for” to “being with,” missionaries become credible witnesses of hope, dignity, and justice in today’s world.