The pectoral cross worn by Pope Leo XIV on his Spanish visit contains relics of 5 saints associated with St. Augustine. The cross was presented to him by his Augustinian brothers in 2023 when he was made a cardinal, and he wore it on the balcony of St. Peter's when he first greeted the world as pope. Two of the relics are of special note this week as the Holy Father continues his apostolic visit. They are the relics of two Spanish Augustinians whose lives reflect Spain's religious history and its influence on the world.
St. Thomas of Villanova, whose relic is contained in one arm of the cross, was the archbishop of Valencia in the late-15th and early 16th centuries. A religious reformer, Thomas was known for his tireless care of the poor and his support of Spain's missions in the Americas, sending the first Augustinian missionaries to Mexico. He founded the seminary in Valencia that continues in operation to this day, and was a brilliant writer and preacher. On hearing him preach, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was said to have exclaimed: "This monsignor can move even the stones!"
Numerous parishes, schools, and universities around the world are named for St. Thomas of Villanova -- including the Pope's own alma mater, Villanova University in Pennsylvania.
The relic of a Spanish Civil War martyr
The other arm of Pope Leo's pectoral cross contains a relic of Blessed Anselmo Polanco (1881-1939), who served as Prior Provincial of his Augustinian Order and was later named bishop of the Diocese of Teruel and Albarracin. While he was provincial, according to his Augustinian biography:
He gave particular importance to visitation of all the Augustinians in his Province. This required difficult journeys to China, the Philippines, the United States, Peru and Colombia, since many of the Spanish Augustinians were engaged in missionary activity.
Pope Leo himself, born in the United States, was once an Augustinian missionary and bishop serving in Peru.
Bl. Anselmo was bishop in Teruel when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936. He remained in his diocese in spite of the anti-Catholic persecutions being carried out. When asked why, he quoted St. Augustine's words to a bishop during an earlier time of persecution: “When all are threatened by the same danger, that is, Bishops, clergy and laity, those who need the others must not be abandoned by those of whom they have need.”
In 1938, Bl. Anselmo was captured and imprisoned by the anti-Catholic forces. He spent his months in prayer with the other prisoners, until in 1939 -- just days before the end of the Civil War -- he was executed by a firing squad. Anselmo Polanco was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995. And his people never forgot how he stayed by their side.
"A gesture full of meaning"
In a Facebook post on Monday, June 8, Teruel Mayor Emma Buj paid tribute to Blessed Anselmo and thanked the Pope for carrying this relic in his cross to Spain.
"An Augustine, like the Holy Father himself," she wrote, "Anselmo Polanco remained with his people until the end, faithful to his convictions and to the mission he had assumed."
Mayor Buj continued:
"As long as there is only one soul left in my diocese, I will stay," he said. And so he did. His example of strength, dedication and fidelity continues today a legacy that honors Teruel and transcends our borders.
That the Pope takes this relic with him during his trip to Spain is a gesture full of meaning and a beautiful way to keep alive the memory of those who gave their lives for their beliefs and for the people who were entrusted to them.
Teruel is present in that symbol that accompanies the Holy Father and that reminds the world of the figure of one [Teruel's] most illustrious children.
