In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am glad to welcome you, and I thank you for your visit and, even more, for the dedication and spirit of service with which you carry out your daily work in various bodies of the Apostolic See, thereby collaborating in the Pope's pastoral ministry.

In the face of today's challenges to the world of work, particularly those posed by developments in artificial intelligence, it is more decisive than ever to keep our attention fixed on the irreplaceable centrality of the human person and on the inalienable dignity of work; indeed, work "is not a mere tool, but expresses and enhances the dignity of our life".

Through work "we contribute to the progress of society and to building the common good, we make fruitful the abilities we have received, we improve and beautify the world, we support our families".

Dear friends, you belong to two different Associations, but ones that share the same workplace, namely the Vatican. My Predecessors, in their teachings on the nature of work at the Apostolic See, placed at the centre two concepts of fundamental value: that of community and that of unity, which are also very dear to me.

Indeed, all those who, in various capacities and with different tasks, are called to collaborate through their work in the Pope's ministry constitute an ecclesial community, sharing, in a spirit of faith and unity, in the one universal mission that the Lord Jesus entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his successors.

With equal dignity, all contribute, each in their own role and through their own work commitment, to the same mission, manifesting this awareness and responsibility above all "in scrupulous fidelity to all assigned tasks and duties, as well as in the zeal, diligence and professionalism that must distinguish everyone who takes part in the activities of the same Apostolic See".

Saint John Paul II acknowledged that "to promote such a spirit […] associations of workers, such as the Association of Vatican Lay Employees, can perform a valid task of collaboration", specifying that "it is not in keeping with the Church's social doctrine for this type of organization to slip into the terrain of conflict or struggle".

The path of dialogue, therefore, remains the principal road on which I too exhort you always to walk, with trust and creativity, in the common search for solutions appropriate to the problems we must face together and in the daily building up of our work community.

Relaunching dialogue, at every level, is in fact what, in my first Encyclical, I wished to propose to the whole Church and to all men and women of good will, as "an integral part of the Church's vocation", "the principal instrument of coexistence among people" and "the ordinary way of facing conflicts". In particular, the Association of Vatican Lay Employees is defined, in its current "regulatory framework", as "a structure of dialogue for its members with the Labour Office of the Apostolic See".

For its part, the Association of Women in the Vatican can help to foster in our environments a style of collaboration, mutual listening and attention to situations of difficulty. The presence of women constitutes a wealth that must be increasingly recognized and valued. Besides a particular sensitivity toward people and relationships, they also bring the full range of human, professional and intellectual talents proper to women's experience and thought. Their competence, capacity for discernment, creativity and concreteness enrich the life of institutions and help to achieve a broader outlook on reality and on the problems encountered.

As we walk this path together, let us commit ourselves increasingly to building a work community where people are not used and bypassed, where we help one another, where each person's worth and competence is recognized, avoiding the generation of dissatisfaction and resentment.

With these sentiments of appreciation and trust, I heartily bless you, your loved ones and your work. Thank you.