Pope Leo XIV says "even if the first Sunday of Lent is a time of preparation, of conversion, this too is a time of joy, because...the Lord wants...to welcome us" FULL TEXT
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PASTORAL VISIT OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
to the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Castro Pretorio (Rome)
First Sunday of Lent, February 22, 2026 -
Early on Sunday, February 22, 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— is seen above and says “Welcome Pope Leo XIV.” Beside it there is a framed panel featuring a close-up of the Pope and St. John Bosco in the background. Greeting the pope 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. Also there is a “Talent Bank,” a group of volunteers who distribute food and drinks to the homeless on Friday nights.
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Greeting from the Holy Father before the Holy Mass
Good morning and happy Sunday everyone! Good morning! How beautiful!
And thank you for your welcome and this joy, which, being the Lord's Day, Sunday, recalls the day of the Resurrection, the joy of our hope.
And even if the first Sunday of Lent is a time of preparation, of conversion, this too is a time of joy, because we all know that the Lord wants to receive us, wants to welcome us, like this parish!
___________________________________
Greeting from the Holy Father before the Holy Mass
Good morning and happy Sunday everyone! Good morning! How beautiful!
And thank you for your welcome and this joy, which, being the Lord's Day, Sunday, recalls the day of the Resurrection, the joy of our hope.
And even if the first Sunday of Lent is a time of preparation, of conversion, this too is a time of joy, because we all know that the Lord wants to receive us, wants to welcome us, like this parish!
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How wonderful it is to be in a place where everyone is welcome! Thank you, thank you to this parish! The name itself—"Heart of Jesus," "Sacred Heart"—reminds us of what the symbol of the heart means to us: a symbol of love, of charity, of the boundless generosity of the Lord's love.
And this very morning we see people from so many countries around the world, all gathered here, representing this unity, communion, and brotherhood, this living together, that only Jesus can make possible. It is Jesus' love, it is his mercy that has called us together this morning. And so I too say: "Thank you, Lord, thank you, and welcome to this celebration!"
I also greet the community of Salesians and Salesian Sisters present here. Let us think about the history of this parish, beginning with Don Bosco , with the Salesians, and my predecessor, who was also named Leo, Leo XIII . We are living a history that is not just of the past. Today we are making history because we still want to live this beautiful tradition of service, charity, and work with young people. How beautiful to see all these children here! A round of applause for them! Let us experience the joy of life: how beautiful it is to be alive, to have this gift of life that the Lord gives us. Many, many best wishes! Happy Sunday, happy celebration!
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Greeting from the Holy Father to the Parish Pastoral Council
I sincerely thank the parish priest—perhaps he's too humble—for everything you did to organize this visit, I suppose he did something too. And let's applaud the parish priest this morning! And the entire Salesian family: this is their home! But a very beautiful thing is that it's not just their home, as they themselves make clear: it's the home of the entire parish, of all the faithful, of this river of pilgrims who pass through Termini every day, through this part of the city—practically the city center, the heart of the city, and the heart of Jesus. It's truly beautiful to experience this spirit not only of the heart of a city, but of the heart of Jesus, which is always full of love and mercy. A mercy that manifests itself in so many services, so many forms of charity, of welcome, of accompaniment, of Christ's closeness, of the Church's closeness to all these people.
Unfortunately, we don't have much time this morning. I'd also like to hear from the different groups about what you're doing, what you're doing, the challenges you face... but this is a first meeting. We hope there will be opportunities in the future. As we've seen in recent years, the Educational Council—what do you call it?—"The Pastoral Educational Community," in the Salesian spirit, or "Pastoral Council" is such an important expression of the life of the Church, which is always synodal. "Synod" means walking together with others, walking all together. And so you, who represent so many sectors, so many communities, so many realities of this parish, gathered here together, working together, also represent this beautiful dimension of ecclesial life, of the life of the Church. Thank you for all you do. I truly wish you not only the Lord's blessing, but also this grace of the Lord, which is love and charity, which is for everyone. So, always forward, and thank you for all you do! Thank you!
A photo with everyone, let's see if it works... the photographer will tell us... With pleasure!
_______________________________________
Greetings from the Holy Father during the meeting with the Salesian community
Thank you for this beautiful greeting, and for all the affection and loyalty you have expressed with these words. I would like to begin this greeting with the words I read written here on the lectern, the ambo of the Word of God.
The phrase from chapter 20 of the Gospel of St. John says: "Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, other signs that are not written in this book. These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." Among the many signs that have not been written, there is the consecrated life, and I would sincerely like to tell you, there is the Salesian community.
You are part of, you are the expression of one of these signs not written in the book, but yes, written in the heart of Jesus: even today you continue this very important service in many parts of the world, even where there is war, where there is conflict, where there is poverty, where Jesus wants to be present.
And it does so through your community and your service here in Rome, here in this parish, and here with the General House of your Congregation.
I already told the community when I visited the parish in Castel Gandolfo – I'll say it here too… this time it's public, they're filming it, recording it (laughter) : as a boy, before joining the Augustinians, I also visited the Salesian community.
You came in second place, I'm sorry! (laughter) But perhaps there's something that has remained in my heart, also united with you, in the Salesian community. And in fact, I've visited more Salesian communities than Augustinian ones in these first ten months of my pontificate. And so I'm truly close to you.
And God's providence, which always accompanies us, helps me recognize these great gifts you have received in your charism: this service to young people, this love for educational ministry, so many expressions you experience in many countries around the world. And I must not forget that the president of APSA is a Salesian, accompanying us also in our material needs, so to speak. It is truly wonderful to be able to celebrate our faith together, and to feel in our hearts this closeness to the least of the Kingdom, to these communities present here in Rome, here in this Termini area, and where you are truly serving young people with great generosity, not only Italians, but also foreigners, creating these opportunities for service, such as the study of Italian—I told the professor earlier that I would also be a member of his Italian classes, which he can always help!
Live this spirit of Jesus' love by following Don Bosco's testimony. Best wishes to you, thank you for your service. Let us walk together, united in the Church, united in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Thank you!
Let's say the Blessing and then pray together. "Our Father,..."
And this very morning we see people from so many countries around the world, all gathered here, representing this unity, communion, and brotherhood, this living together, that only Jesus can make possible. It is Jesus' love, it is his mercy that has called us together this morning. And so I too say: "Thank you, Lord, thank you, and welcome to this celebration!"
I also greet the community of Salesians and Salesian Sisters present here. Let us think about the history of this parish, beginning with Don Bosco , with the Salesians, and my predecessor, who was also named Leo, Leo XIII . We are living a history that is not just of the past. Today we are making history because we still want to live this beautiful tradition of service, charity, and work with young people. How beautiful to see all these children here! A round of applause for them! Let us experience the joy of life: how beautiful it is to be alive, to have this gift of life that the Lord gives us. Many, many best wishes! Happy Sunday, happy celebration!
_____________________________________
Greeting from the Holy Father to the Parish Pastoral Council
I sincerely thank the parish priest—perhaps he's too humble—for everything you did to organize this visit, I suppose he did something too. And let's applaud the parish priest this morning! And the entire Salesian family: this is their home! But a very beautiful thing is that it's not just their home, as they themselves make clear: it's the home of the entire parish, of all the faithful, of this river of pilgrims who pass through Termini every day, through this part of the city—practically the city center, the heart of the city, and the heart of Jesus. It's truly beautiful to experience this spirit not only of the heart of a city, but of the heart of Jesus, which is always full of love and mercy. A mercy that manifests itself in so many services, so many forms of charity, of welcome, of accompaniment, of Christ's closeness, of the Church's closeness to all these people.
Unfortunately, we don't have much time this morning. I'd also like to hear from the different groups about what you're doing, what you're doing, the challenges you face... but this is a first meeting. We hope there will be opportunities in the future. As we've seen in recent years, the Educational Council—what do you call it?—"The Pastoral Educational Community," in the Salesian spirit, or "Pastoral Council" is such an important expression of the life of the Church, which is always synodal. "Synod" means walking together with others, walking all together. And so you, who represent so many sectors, so many communities, so many realities of this parish, gathered here together, working together, also represent this beautiful dimension of ecclesial life, of the life of the Church. Thank you for all you do. I truly wish you not only the Lord's blessing, but also this grace of the Lord, which is love and charity, which is for everyone. So, always forward, and thank you for all you do! Thank you!
A photo with everyone, let's see if it works... the photographer will tell us... With pleasure!
_______________________________________
Greetings from the Holy Father during the meeting with the Salesian community
Thank you for this beautiful greeting, and for all the affection and loyalty you have expressed with these words. I would like to begin this greeting with the words I read written here on the lectern, the ambo of the Word of God.
The phrase from chapter 20 of the Gospel of St. John says: "Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, other signs that are not written in this book. These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." Among the many signs that have not been written, there is the consecrated life, and I would sincerely like to tell you, there is the Salesian community.
You are part of, you are the expression of one of these signs not written in the book, but yes, written in the heart of Jesus: even today you continue this very important service in many parts of the world, even where there is war, where there is conflict, where there is poverty, where Jesus wants to be present.
And it does so through your community and your service here in Rome, here in this parish, and here with the General House of your Congregation.
I already told the community when I visited the parish in Castel Gandolfo – I'll say it here too… this time it's public, they're filming it, recording it (laughter) : as a boy, before joining the Augustinians, I also visited the Salesian community.
You came in second place, I'm sorry! (laughter) But perhaps there's something that has remained in my heart, also united with you, in the Salesian community. And in fact, I've visited more Salesian communities than Augustinian ones in these first ten months of my pontificate. And so I'm truly close to you.
And God's providence, which always accompanies us, helps me recognize these great gifts you have received in your charism: this service to young people, this love for educational ministry, so many expressions you experience in many countries around the world. And I must not forget that the president of APSA is a Salesian, accompanying us also in our material needs, so to speak. It is truly wonderful to be able to celebrate our faith together, and to feel in our hearts this closeness to the least of the Kingdom, to these communities present here in Rome, here in this Termini area, and where you are truly serving young people with great generosity, not only Italians, but also foreigners, creating these opportunities for service, such as the study of Italian—I told the professor earlier that I would also be a member of his Italian classes, which he can always help!
Live this spirit of Jesus' love by following Don Bosco's testimony. Best wishes to you, thank you for your service. Let us walk together, united in the Church, united in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Thank you!
Let's say the Blessing and then pray together. "Our Father,..."
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