It is said that once you experience the heat of Italy, you understand why the Roman Empire chose to expand its borders. If Pope Leo has heard this saying, he might well have thought of it during his trip this Saturday afternoon, June 20, to the northern Italian Lombardy region, which was under a severe high temperature warning. Temps were pushing 100 degrees as the Holy Father greeted those linked to the Augustinian spiritual family, noting that many of those in the crowds were people he knows personally.
After a time of prayer before the relics of his spiritual father, Pope Leo urged Catholics to combat division and bear witness to the “new and astonishing” Gospel in today’s world.
After arriving by helicopter for this short afternoon trip just south of Milan, the Pope’s first stop in Pavia was at a specialized cancer center, where he greeted the children and patients being treated there. Speaking to them, he emphasised the importance of the family: “Make the whole world understand that, in difficult times, if the presence and love of the family are lacking, everything becomes more difficult,” he said. “God does not want anyone to suffer,” the Pope affirmed, promising that God is “always present” and that He “sends us angels” in moments of weakness.
Following this segment, Leo XIV went on to the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro, run by the local community of the Order of St. Augustine, of which he was Superior General from 2001 to 2013. “St. Augustine does not belong to us; he belongs to the Church, and our mission is to make him known within the Church,” for “he has much to offer in these times,” the Holy Father said during a private meeting with the religious.
He then came to the monastery balcony and greeted the dozens of people waiting for him in the cloister, all wearing yellow caps. After encouraging them to become “a sign of love and charity in the world,” the Pope went into the basilica where he venerated the relics of his spiritual master – which Pavia has held since the 8th century – placing his hand on the precious reliquary on the altar.
(Read below about how Augustine's relics came to rest so far from Algeria where he served as bishop.)
Rediscovering ‘the primacy of interiority’
During the liturgy of the Word that followed, the Bishop of Rome urged the Catholics of Pavia – 1,800 of whom were present at the gathering – not to succumb to "negativity and pessimism," and to combat "inner fragmentation." He called for communities to be “centered on what is essential,” that is to say, Christ – even if it means “giving up certain structures and securities of the past."
What is essential is to live with Christ, and spreading his Gospel is what must be close to our hearts.
The head of the Catholic Church urged people to “accompany others in their discovery or rediscovery of the faith.” He argued that Christians’ way of life should be as “new and surprising” as it was in the early centuries.
We must therefore proclaim the heart of the Gospel, namely Jesus, who, through his incarnation, death and resurrection, reveals to us the mystery of God and, at the same time, the mystery that is ourselves.
Near the relics of the Bishop of Hippo, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the legacy of St. Augustine. His story, he said, reminds us of “the value and primacy of interiority,” as well as “the need to look within oneself, […] to seek and find a meaning that guides our lives and animates our relationships."
After the celebration, the Pope went on to a meeting with the people of Pavia. He then was set to travel to the nearby town of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, to pray before the relics of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, a missionary in the United States, first American saint, and patron saint of migrants.
