Pope Leo visits San Marino and Rimini

Pope in San Marino - Image: Vatican Media

Source: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV traveled to the Republic of San Marino on Saturday, August 22, for a half-day pastoral visit, followed by a visit to the Italian city of Rimini in the afternoon. During the day Pope Leo XIV delivered a strong, passionate message calling for peace, dialogue, and mercy to counter a global culture that "rearms minds, words, and nations".

In his address to civil authorities in San Marino, Pope Leo expressed his joy visiting the world's oldest Republic, following in the footsteps of Pope St John Paul II who visited in 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2011.

Known as the 'Most Serene Republic', San Marino has remained rooted in its motto 'Libertas' (Liberty), which the Pope said sums up its history and aspirations for the future. He praised San Marino as a "laboratory of good politics," noting its unique value as a democracy on a human scale that aligns with the needs of its citizens. Pope Leo reflected on the nation's founders, Saints Marinus and Leo. He explained how they translated the Gospel into a political model built on "freedom, mutual respect, and communion."

He urged the local Catholic community to walk the path of the Gospel with conviction, saying: "If you have the truth and the freedom to follow Jesus, do not be afraid of anything."

In the afternoon, the Pope traveled to the Italian seaside city of Rimini, where he spoke at the 47th Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples and celebrated an outdoor Mass. At the Meeting the Pope delivered a powerful speech targeting modern social ills, war, and polarization. He called for a "realism of mercy" to fight back against the harsh, false realism of war and division. He stated that in a culture of mercy, "enemies cannot exist" because everyone is a brother or sister.

In a heavily applauded moment, he called on the crowd to "free our coexistence from suspicion, our culture from arrogance, our education from ideology, our work from the idolatry of profit, and our technology and finance from the business of death."

He challenged the audience to expose power structures that cause poverty, inequality, environmental disasters, and war.

The Pope dedicated a major portion of his message to the young Catholics present, calling them "a sign that the future is promising, and not a threat," telling them that the world desperately needs their enthusiasm, faith, and love. He urged them to recognize their immense worth, to form genuine friendships, and to help build a "civilisation of love."

Later, visiting sick and disabled residents at the Rimini Cathedral, he comforted them by saying, "You are home," emphasising that Jesus always worked to restore human dignity.

During his closing Mass at the Port of Rimini, he offered a warning about summer vacations. He noted that modern forms of entertainment often lead to "distraction and ruin" or "escapism," leaving an empty heart. Instead, he explained that true rest and refreshment are found "not outside, in the chaos, but within ourselves, in the depths of the soul."

He reminded the faithful - including church leaders - that true authority means mimicking Jesus, by choosing to "embrace, unite, welcome, liberate, forgive, and emancipate" others.