VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Ordaining new priests at the Vatican today, Pope Leo XIV urged them to prioritize the sacramental life and Eucharistic adoration.

Addressing 32 deacons about to be ordained, and thousands of priests gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV urged the clerics to be fervent in priestly life. “We are called to exercise pastoral charity with a generous love, like that of the Father, and to foster in our hearts the desire that no one be lost but that everyone, also through our ministry, may come to know Christ and have eternal life in him.”

The Mass today marked the second time that the new Pope has ordained priests, the first occasion being May 31 when he ordained 11 priests for his Diocese of Rome.

Today some 32 men were ordained by Leo, coming from countries across the globe. Africa was heavily represented, with priests from Nigeria, Angola, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Ghana.

A strong contingent was also present from Mexico, with ordinands from South Korea, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, and Australia also included.

Pope Leo ordained 32 priests at the Vatican today.

They hail from across the globe, including from Nigeria, Australia, Mexico, Ukraine, Italy, Sri Lanka, South Korea.

The Vatican was filled with clergy, present for the Jubilee of Priests. https://t.co/7xGbibgQF7 pic.twitter.com/S9qRgmKZh8

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Delivering a final charge to the new priests in his homily, Leo XIV emphasized the importance of their priestly life being founded upon the sacraments:

Love God and your brothers and sisters, and give yourselves to them generously. Be fervent in your celebration of the sacraments, in prayer, especially in adoration before the Eucharist, and in your ministry. Keep close to your flock, give freely of your time and energy to everyone, without reserve and without partiality, as the pierced side of the crucified Jesus and the example of the saints teach us to do.

Reminding them of the many saintly priests in Church history, Leo encouraged the new ordinands to acquaint themselves with the lives of “priests who have been martyrs, tireless apostles, missionaries, and champions of charity.”

“Cherish this treasure: learn their stories, study their lives and work, imitate their virtues, be inspired by their zeal, and invoke their intercession often and insistently,” he said.

In a separate message from the Pope for the Day for the Sanctification of Priests, Leo highlighted the feast of the Sacred Heart and its link to the priestly life:

Today’s Solemnity thus renews in our own hearts the call to be completely committed to the service of God’s holy people. This mission starts with prayer and is carried out in union with the Lord, who constantly revives in us the sacred gift of our vocation to the priesthood.

READ: Pope Leo XIV affirms clerical celibacy, urges bishops to embody ‘holy and chaste’ Church

“Never forget that a holy priest makes holiness flourish around him,” added the Pope, while urging priests to renew their ordination promises and resolve.

This week has seen Leo conduct a number of meetings with clergy, as bishops, priests, and seminarians have gathered in Rome for their respective Jubilee events.

At each of these, the Pope highlighted the importance of clerical celibacy for the priestly life. Addressing priests on Thursday, Leo linked the celibate life to the priesthood of Christ:

This friendship with Christ is the spiritual foundation of ordained ministry, the meaning of our celibacy, and the energy of the ecclesial service to which we dedicate our lives. It sustains us in times of trial and allows us to renew each day the “yes” we pronounced at the beginning of our vocation.

The American Pope’s engagements will continue on Sunday with the imposition of the pallium upon newly created archbishops. Among the 54 receiving the pallium will be eight new archbishops from the U.S., including Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., and Archbishop Weisenberger of Detroit.