Pope Leo XIV travels to Pavia to the 8th century Basilica where St. Augustine is buried

 

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• St. Augustine
• Italy
• catholic church
• prayer

Pope in Pavia: St Augustine shows us ‘the need to turn inward’

Pope Leo visits the church where St Augustine is buried, reflecting on pessimism, interiority, and the need to "read the signs of the times".

By Joseph Tulloch

Pope Leo XIV began his pastoral visit to Pavia, northern Italy, with a visit to the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Golden Sky (Basilica di San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro), the 8th-century church where St Augustine is buried.

Gathered there were members of the Catholic faithful from Pavia and across the wider Lombardy region, as well as priests, religious, seminarians and bishops. After leading a short prayer and veneration of the relics of St Augustine, Pope Leo addressed those gathered.

Avoiding pessimism

The Church in Pavia, the Pope said, is one of “ancient tradition”, but nevertheless manages to “read the signs of these times”.

Those who likewise observe the present through the lens of ancient faith, Leo said, are able to arrive at a “deeper” reading of reality, one which allows them to avoid being “discouraged” by the problems they face.

The Pope thus encouraged his listeners to emulate Jesus, who, “in the midst of difficulties and incomprehension”, was able to see divine Providence at work in creatures as simple as birds and flowers.

Pope Leo in Pavia (@VATICAN MEDIA)

New structures

Pope Leo acknowledged the many “urgencies and commitments” facing parishes in the city of Pavia but stressed the importance of bringing all activities “back to the center”, namely Christ. Without this “cornerstone”, he warned, our actions risk becoming “scattered” and “focused solely on ourselves and our own efforts.”

This process of stripping back the Church’s work to its essential core, the Pope admitted, could mean “giving up some of the structures and security of the past”. He thus encouraged the Church in Pavia to value what is best in its history – such as the system of oratory, parish-run youth centers which, in the Lombardy region, continue to play an important role in local communities – whilst at the same time continuing to implement more recent concepts, such as synodality.

Pope Leo in Pavia (@Vatican Media)

St Augustine and ‘the need to turn inward’

St Augustine, whose example “shines with precious light”, can be a guide throughout this process, the Pope said.

Leo suggested that the fourth century North African saint can teach us above all the “value and primacy of interiority”. “Do not go outside of yourself”, he said, quoting Augustine’s De vera religione. “Return into yourself. Truth dwells in the inner man.”

This is a message, Pope Leo suggested, which is deeply relevant today, in a world where there is a universal need to "turn inward, to avoid losing ourselves … and to seek and find a meaning that guides our lives”.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for his brothers in the Augustinian Order

 

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Holy Mass at the opening of the General Chapter of the Augustinian Order  (@Vatican Media)

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• St. Augustine
• religious orders

Pope asks Augustinians to promote unity throughout the Church and the world

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Holy Mass at the Church of St Augustine in Rome, for the opening of the General Chapter of the Augustinian Order, urging his brothers and sisters to pray for the gift of listening, being humble and promoting unity.

By Christopher Wells

Pope Leo XIV began his homily for the Mass for the Inauguration of the General Chapter of the Augustinians by inviting those present to ask the Holy Spirit for His guidance in their work.

“The Holy Spirit speaks, today as in the past,” the Pope said, emphasizing the importance “for the atmosphere of the Chapter, in harmony with the centuries-long tradition of the Church, to be an atmosphere of listening” to God and to others.

He invited those taking part in the Chapter to “live these days, therefore, in a sincere effort to communicate and to understand” as a “generous response to the great and unique gift of light and grace that the Father of Heaven gives you by summoning you here, you specifically, for the good of all.”

Pope Leo went on to emphasize the importance of humility, citing St Augustine, who saw in the multiplicity of voices “an invitation to us to make ourselves small in the face of the freedom and inscrutability of God’s action.”

Instead of imagining that they have “all the answers,” he invited them “to welcome with faith that which the Lord inspires” in order to allow themselves to be taught and reminded by the Spirit of the words of Christ.

Promote unity

Finally, the Holy Father emphasized a final “point of reflection” from the opening liturgy: “the value of unity.” He took up St Paul’s words from the first reading, reminding those present that all have received gifts “inspired by the Spirit” for the good of all.

Before highlighting this aspect of his message, the Pope chose to speak English for those present "who understand English but don't understand Italian," inviting everyone to pray for a gift of the Holy Spirit.

"That you will be given indeed, not necessarily the gift to understand or speak all languages, but the gift to listen, and the gift to be humble, and the gift to promote unity -within the Order and through the Order, throughout the Church and the world," he said.

“Let unity be an indispensable goal of your efforts,” he continued in Italian, “but not only that: may it also be the criterion for evaluating your actions and your work together, because what unites is from Him, but what divides cannot be.”

Concluding his homily, Pope Leo said the liturgy to open their deliberations invites them to make listening, humility, and unity “their own, renewing the prayer we raised to the Lord at the beginning of the celebration: May the Paraclete, who proceeds from you, O Father, illuminate our minds and, according to the promise of your Son, guide us to all truth.”

The pectoral cross of Pope Leo XIV containing the relics of St. Leo the great and three Augustinian Bishops

 

• Pope Leo XIV
• reliquie
• saints and blessed
• bishops
• St. Augustine

Pope Leo XIV's pectoral cross contains a relic of St. Leo the Great

On the day of his election, Pope Leo XIV received the gift of a silver pectoral cross containing the relics of Pope St. Leo the Great, as well as three Augustinian bishops: St. Augustine, St. Thomas of Villanova, and Blessed Anselmo Polanco, a Spanish bishop martyred in the country’s civil war.

By Tiziana Campisi and Christopher Wells

Almost 16 centuries ago, the first Pope to bear the name Leo promoted the unity of the Church, highlighted the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, defined the doctrine of the Incarnation, composed some of the most beautiful prayers of the Roman Missal, and earned for himself the epithet “the Great.”
 

Read also

10/05/2025

Pope Leo XIV's pectoral cross holds relics of Saints Augustine and Monica

On May 8, the day of his election to the papacy, the new Pope Leo XIV received a silver pectoral cross donated by the Circolo San Pietro, containing relics of his illustrious predecessor, along with relics of St. Augustine of Hippo and Augustinian bishops St. Thomas of Villanova and Blessed Anselmo Polanco.

The Circolo San Pietro was founded in Rome in 1869 by a group of young people at the urging of Blessed Pope Pius IX, who entrusted them with their initial charitable duty of providing meals for the poor

Pectoral cross with relics of Pope St Leo the Great, St Augustine of Hippo, St Thomas of Villanova, and Bd Anselmo Polanco

The idea of the Custode of the Apostolic Sanctuary

The idea of having a new “reliquary” cross made for Pope Leo XIV was the inspiration of Father Bruno Silvestrini, OSA, Custode del Sacrario Apostolico (Guardian of the Apostolic Sanctuary), and a member of the Augustinian community attached to the Pontifical Sacristy.

Picking up on his Augustinian confrere’s desire to entrust himself to the protection and guidance of Pope Leo the Great, Fr. Silvestrini turned to expert Antonino Cottone, who had already made five reliquaries using traditional medieval techniques.

Mr. Cottone created the pectoral cross reliquary, which was donated to Pope Leo by the Augustinian General Curia on the day he was created Cardinal, on 30 September 2023

A painstaking task

It took the expert only two hours to create, with painstaking precision and passionate dedication, a new small cross with gilded paper filigrees (paperoles) on red moiré (“watered silk”, a textile whose appearance simulates the grain of wood or marble, producing an iridescent effect), where 4 tiny paper flowers held the relics of the 4 illustrious pastors of the Church.

Mr. Cottone skillfully rolled, shaped, and glued tiny strips of paper to create a series of decorative elements between which he then inserted the precious fragments of the “holy bones.”

Cottone prepares the relics for insertion in the pectoral cross

Cross presented to Leo XIV

When he had finished his work, the artisan placed the “reliquary cross” inside the papal pectoral cross and presented it to Pope Leo XIV by placing it around his neck.

The Pope joyfully received the pectoral cross enriched with the relics of four bishops particularly dear to him.

Presenting the reliquary cross to Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Monday Mass with the Augustinian community in Rome

 

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• St. Augustine

Pope Leo XIV makes a surprise visit to his Augustinian brothers in Rome

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in the community chapel of the General Curia of the Augustinians, before joining the brothers for lunch — just as he used to when he was a Cardinal.

By Tiziana Campisi and Kielce Gussie

On the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass with the Augustinian brothers at the General Curia of the Order of Saint Augustine near the Vatican. He then joined them for lunch — a routine that was almost daily for him when he was a cardinal.

Just before noon, the Pope arrived at the place he called home for 12 years, from 2001 to 2013, while serving as Prior General.

The black minivan made the short journey from the Vatican to Via Paolo VI, beside St. Peter's Square, for a private visit with his religious family. In this community, shared life and togetherness are key, in keeping with the Rule of Saint Augustine, which instructs his friars:

“The main reason you have come together is to live in harmony in the house, with one heart and one soul directed toward God.”

Hundreds gathered at the gate of the Augustinian Curia, braving an unexpected thunderstorm, to catch a glimpse of the Pope as he left around 3:00 p.m., warmly greeting those who had been waiting.

Speaking to Vatican News, Fr. Alejandro Moral, the Prior General, said the Pope presided over Mass in th Curia chapel, then they shared lunch together.

He shared that Pope Leo XIV "used to eat here regularly and wanted to thank the community for that." Fr. Moral described it as a "very warm and informal visit, a gesture of gratitude" and stressed that the Pope is not a stranger to the Curia house. "He knows everyone, and we all know him — that made it especially meaningful."

Pope Leo's first visit to the community after being elected pontiff did not immediately end after the lunch. Rather, Fr. Moral said many people came to greet him — "workers who help us here, and the kitchen staff." The Prior General said everyone was very happy with the special visit. 

The Pope left his community with words stemming from the founder of their order: "He told us we must always stay close to one another, and live in communion, just as Saint Augustine calls us to do."