Pope Leo prays for peace at Monte Cassino

Image: Vatican Media

Source: Vatican Media

On Monday morning, July 20, Pope Leo XIV paid a private visit to the Abbey of Monte Cassino and its monastic community.

He paused to pray at the tomb of St Benedict, "entrusting to him his plea for peace in those regions of the world marked by bloodshed and conflict," the Vatican said later in a statement.

Pope Leo then had lunch with the religious community and, afterwards, returned to Castel Gandolfo, where he is currently spending his summer break until July 27.

The Abbey of Monte Cassino is located around a two-hour drive from Rome and was the first monastery of the Benedictine order, founded by the saint himself in 529.

The abbey was almost completely destroyed during the Battle of Monte Cassino on 15 February 1944, when Allied forces mistakenly believed it was occupied by German troops. Rebuilt after the Second World War with funding from the Italian government, it was rededicated by Pope Paul VI in 1964. Today, a small Benedictine community remains in the abbey, which welcomes pilgrims and visitors from around the world.

Nearby lies the Cassino War Cemetery, where more than 4,000 Commonwealth servicemen whose graves are unknown are commemorated on the Cassino Memorial, while 289 of those buried there remain unidentified.

Close to the abbey is also the Polish War Cemetery, the final resting place of 1,072 Polish soldiers who died capturing Monte Cassino in May 1944. Christian crosses and Stars of David on the headstones reflect the religious diversity of those who gave their lives during the campaign.

Ten days ago, at this site - reduced to rubble during the Second World War and a lasting symbol of the devastation of war - the 2026 Pacis Nuntius Award was presented to Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.