On his birthday, Pope Leo remembered his librarian mom

The Holy Father also met with employees of the Vatican Apostolic Archives, which were established in 1612 and were formerly known as the “secret” archives.

Tourists in the Belvedere courtyard got to wish the Pope a happy birthday from a walkway in the Vatican Museums. Inside, Leo XIV chose to place culture, memory, and research at the heart of his day. At the beginning of his speech, he shared a personal memory about his mother, Mildred Martinez Prevost (1911–1990).

Thanking the library staff, the Pope reflected on the silence unique to these spaces. “When thinking of a library, one imagines it as a peaceful, quiet environment. Indeed, books are silent and demand silence,” he observed.

Yet far from signifying inactivity, this quietness creates an environment that encourages research. “If, on the one hand, a book soothes, on the other, it awakens restlessness, and nourishes the desire and courage of research,” he noted.

To illustrate this dynamic, Leo XIV turned to his spiritual father, St. Augustine. In his Confessions, the bishop of Hippo recounts the moment of inner crisis preceding his conversion. He heard a child’s voice repeating, “Take up and read.” St. Augustine opened St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, and “a light, as if of certainty, penetrated his heart and all the darkness of doubt dissipated.” Through this book, “the doubt disappeared, but not the desire, which became even stronger, driving him to explore the breadth and depth of Sacred Scripture,” the Pontiff explained.

The Pope paid homage to the daily work of librarians, archivists, and researchers, putting their professional skills into a context of faith. “By keeping, studying, and making available to researchers the books of the successor of Peter, you help the Church and humanity to be able to respond to the depth of this desire,” he told them.

He praised the institution's efforts to adapt to the digital age, while also pointing out its limitations. “It is necessary to continue and encourage the ancient practice of physically going to the Library,” the Pope insisted.

This space “is not only a reservoir of books from which to draw conveniently from the computer at home, but an atmosphere made of connections, of contrasts, of sharing ideas,” he added.

The Holy Father recalled that the Vatican Library is not limited to theology. Its collections also include various genres of literature, alongside philosophy, astronomy, physics, mathematics, history, geography, law, art, economics, medicine, and even botany and zoology.

Leo XIV associated the library's intellectual openness with a broader mission of bringing humanity closer together. He spoke of the “gentle diplomacy that finds an open path among the documents and books of the Vatican Archives and Library, one of the ‘open pathways to reconciliation’ of which the Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas speaks.”

He encouraged the employees of the library and archives to continue their mission. “Faithful to the past and faithful to the future, with the languages and means that are yours,” he said,  “find new pathways to reconciliation.” The Pope also announced plans for new facilities to expand the library’s and archive’s capacity.

Before addressing the staff, the Pope visited “AQVA.” This is a temporary exhibition that aims to foster a dialogue between the library's historical heritage and contemporary creations. This project dedicated to water juxtaposes historical collections with the works of French artist JR, American typographer Bill Moran, and Italian chef Fulvio Pierangelini, a seafood specialist.

This exhibition launches a five-year cycle officially titled “Catastrophe and Wonder.” It will go on to explore other natural threats to books, such as fire, light, and insects. This water-themed installation features a selection of manuscripts, prints, engravings, and objects from the Vatican collections, including marine bestiaries and aquatic-themed stamps.

Visitors begin their journey at the facade of the 16th-century building, which displays Diluvium, a monumental wave created by JR. For this initial in situ contemporary art installation at the Vatican, the French photographer and director drew inspiration from an engraving of the Great Flood by 19th-century illustrator Gustave Doré.

Following its inauguration by the Pope, “AQVA” will be open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays, from September 25, 2026, to May 14, 2027.