As the world focuses on the Catholic Church and the upcoming papal conclave, Curtis Martin, founder and CEO of the evangelism group FOCUS, urged Catholics to share the Gospel with zeal. 

The Fellowship of Catholic University Students, or FOCUS, is a Catholic outreach organization that evangelizes at more than 200 college campuses and 20 parish communities around the world. 

In an interview with EWTN News In Depth from St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Martin spoke on the current state of evangelization in the Catholic Church as the world anticipates a new pope.

For Martin, this presents a “unique” opening for Catholics to “declare with great joy and … clarity the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.”

Into the world

“God is inviting Catholics to transform the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ — and the world is looking to us,” Martin said.

Now is the time for Catholics to provide the opportunity for those outside the Church “to have hope, to find mercy” in Christ, Martin reflected. It is the time for non-Catholics “to be welcomed — almost like a prodigal son coming home.” 

Pope Francis appointed Martin as a consultor to the Dicastery for Evangelization in 2023.

Reflecting on Pope Francis’ legacy, Martin called the late pope “a great inspiration” in “his desire to see us out on the periphery, to be caring for people, calling the Church out of the comfort zone and back into the world.”

When asked about the unique challenges the incoming Holy Father will face, Martin noted that cultural issues are “more pronounced” than they were when Pope Francis was elected more than a decade ago.

But these challenges are “not all bad news” because “the Church is a light,” Martin noted.

“The contrast between what we’re offering and what the world is offering will be all the more startling and attractive,” he said.

For young people, these “contrasts” between the light of the Church and the dark of the world “are becoming greater,” Martin noted.

“The culture is unfortunately chewing up and destroying the lives of our young people in unforeseen ways and terrible ways,” Martin said.

But from Martin’s perspective, this reality is an opportunity for mercy.

“Our God is a God of mercy,” Martin said. “And it sometimes takes us [being] in a place where we know we need mercy before we’re going to find it attractive.”

Martin said he believes young people may be “more open” to the Gospel than their parents or previous generations. 

But the Gospel is not just young people, Martin reminded viewers. It’s for all. 

“The Gospel works. It has worked since the time of Christ. It works right now,” he said. 

Martin encouraged Catholics to share the Gospel with “joy” because “people are responding — in our experience, first by dozens, then by hundreds, and now by tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands.” 

“This next pope will have a tremendous opportunity to guide us in this path,” Martin said.

When asked about his hopes for the new pope, Martin again pointed to sharing the Gospel.

“The delight of the Catholic Church, of faith in Jesus Christ, is radiating all over the world,” Martin said.