Pope: Church must be a stronghold of charity in the contradictions of our time
Pope Leo XIV visits the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the neighbourhood of Castro Pretorio in Rome, close to the Termini train station and meets the parish community. In his homily, he invited them to be “the yeast of the Gospel in the dough" of an area marked by many difficulties.
By Edoardo Giribaldi
The wire of a phone charger dangles from an outlet, between the wooden confessionals built in the time of St. John Bosco, in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Castro Pretorio in central Rome on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
Kicked aside by hurried steps, it’s easily forgotten, leaving eyes to wander elsewhere, as they’re attracted by the electric current that runs through the central nave of the parish run by the Salesian Order: Pope Leo XIV is passing by, as part of his second of five visits to parishes across the city in the time leading up to Easter.
“Closeness” and “charity,” he said in his homily, should be the barriers against the “widespread violence” marking the neighborhood, which too often appears in headlines for its darker news.
The Pope’s words recall the stories of refugees, the sick, and men and women burdened with wounds. “In just a few meters, one can touch the contradictions of this time,” he said, as in the neighborhood, near those most in need, there are also those rushing to catch a train at Termini station.
Perhaps it’s in that forgotten charger—left behind by someone without a home, or who only finds shelter for a night—that the truest sense of the “closeness” invoked by the Pope is found. A church that is not just a shelter by the altar, but a meal, or warm water, a plug to connect to for a few hours.
The Pope’s Arrival
It is the early hours of Sunday, February 22. On Via Marsala, where the church is located, the large atrium leading to the station is blocked, but the flow of faithful moves eagerly, filling the courtyard in front of the basilica.
A golden and white banner—the colors of the Vatican City flag—dominates the scene and says “Welcome Pope Leo XIV.” Next to it there is a framed panel featuring a close-up of the Pope and St. John Bosco in the background.
The sight of the faithful makes visible the “contradictions” the Pope spoke of in his homily during the Mass he presided over in the basilica. There are children from the catechism bundled up in large jackets and many representatives of the parish’s different associations and organizations that help those in need, such as for example the Listening Center, where those who seek it find psychological support for their distress. Or also the “Talent Bank,” a group of volunteers who distribute food and drinks to the homeless on Friday nights.
There are also religious sisters from the three congregations that are present in the parish community: the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco), the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Most Blessed Sacrament, and the Missionary Sisters of Christ the Risen One.
The wonder of those in need
At 8:15 a.m., the wait ends. An impromptu applause spreads like wildfire and phones rise up in the air. Pope Leo XIV enters the courtyard adjacent to the basilica.
The Pope extends his hand, holds their gazes. A couple of future spouses hold up a sign with a brief request, "We are getting married, will you bless us?" and Pope Leo does. He greets the crowds smiling at the children and also with the needy assisted by the parish.
“How wonderful to see all these children here!” the Pope said. “An applause for them! To live the joy of life, and how beautiful it is to be alive, to have this gift of life that the Lord gives us.”
In his opening greeting, he sees the same “warmth of welcome” praised by his predecessor, Pope Francis, during his visit to the same parish in 2014.
“We all know that the Lord wants to meet us, to welcome us, as much as this parish does! How beautiful it is to be in a place where everyone is welcome! Thank you all, thank you to this parish!” the Pope said.
“It is the love of Jesus, His mercy, that has called us together this morning”
Amid the applause in the courtyard, Pope Leo reflects on the name of the parish itself, which calls to mind the heart, “a symbol of love, of charity, of this boundless generosity of the Lord’s love.” This generosity that doesn’t know barriers and goes even beyond nationality, as many countries are represented in the thousand people gathered in the basilica’s courtyard.
“They represent this unity, communion, and brotherhood, this living together, which only Jesus can make possible,” the Pope highlighted in his greeting. “It is the love of Jesus, it is his mercy that has brought us together this morning.”
The Pope then greeted the Salesian community present. He reflected on the value of history, that does not only look at the past but also gives momentum to the current activities, in “this beautiful tradition of service, of charity, of working with young people.”
Rediscovering our freedoms
Among the crowd there are also five catechumens who will receive the sacraments at the Easter Vigil. The Pope, in the opening part of his homily during the Mass, points to them as a sign of a new beginning that concerns everyone.
“Especially in this Lenten season, we are called to rediscover the grace of Baptism as the source of life that dwells in us and dynamically accompanies us, in the utmost respect for our freedom,” he said.
He then spoke of the “drama” of man’s independence, the ancient temptation that runs through the garden of Eden and Jesus in the desert.
“The Gospel seems to answer the age-old dilemma: can I live my life to the fullest by saying “yes” to God? Or, in order to be free and happy, must I free myself from Him?” the Pope reflected.
The Church, a stronghold of closeness
These questions do not remain abstract, but they take shape once again in the concrete actions of those who, every day, choose to serve others through the charitable works organized by the parish.
It was Pope Leo XIII who asked St. John Bosco to build it “in a unique crossroads of the city, destined to become even more important over time,” the Pope explained.
He sees in each believer a “stronghold of closeness” in the face of the challenges that the Castro Pretorio neighborhood places before them.
In this regard, he highlighted how the neighborhood is home “to numerous young university students, commuters who come and go for work, immigrants seeking employment, and young refugees who have found, thanks to an initiative by the Salesians, the opportunity to meet Italian peers and carry out integration projects.”
The contradictions of the neighborhood
The Pope also focused on the “brothers who have no home,” those who knock on the Caritas shelter on Via Marsala and find a bed at the “Don Luigi Di Liegro” hostel.
“In just a few meters, one can touch the contradictions of this time: the carefreeness of those come and go with all the comforts and those without a roof; the many potentials for good and the widespread violence; the desire to work honestly and the illicit trades of drugs and prostitution,” the Pope said.
A gift for the Pope
The Pope also invited the community to be “the yeast of the Gospel in the dough of the territory.” The Mass was concelebrated by, among others, Cardinal Baldo Reina, Vicar General of Rome; the parish’s titular Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Catholic Education; Father Fabio Attard, the Rector Major of the Salesians; Father Roberto Colameo, the Superior of the Salesian Circumscription of Central Italy; Father Javier Ortiz Rodriguez, the parish priest.
Father Ortiz then addressed the Pope, giving him an icon of the Sacred Heart and thanking him for his pastoral visit. Father Ortiz said he hopes the visit will be a balm for the “social wounds” afflicting the neighborhood, but also a “restart of a pastoral project that will be like a high-speed train loaded with peace, hope, and Christian commitment to build community, reaching everyone.”
Before the Mass, Pope Leo visited the “Don Bosco's room” ("Camerette di Don Bosco") in the Church. And before returning to the Vatican, he paused in prayer before the Tabernacle.
The rooms are located behind the choir and sacristy, at the corner of Via Magenta and Via Vicenza. They served as the Saint's residence during his 20th and final trip to Rome, from April 30 to May 18, 1887. They were two modest rooms, one for sleeping and the other for receiving the many visitors who wished to see him and speak with him. The place was opened to the public in 1934, after St. John Bosco's canonization.
