Pope Leo XIV Venerates Heart of Mother Cabrini and says "be in love with Christ...at the service of the poorest" FULL TEXT

 Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini on June 20, presenting her life as a model for addressing one of the defining challenges of the modern world: migration. The Pope's visit to Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, a small Lombard town south of Milan, Italy, as part of his pastoral journey to nearby Pavia.  It was here, in 1850, that Francesca Cabrini was born before embarking on a life of mission that would take her across the Atlantic and eventually to Chicago, where she died in 1917. Canonised in 1946, she became the first saint of the United States and was later named Patroness of Migrants. Speaking during a moment of Eucharistic Adoration and the veneration of the relic of Cabrini's heart in the Church of St. Antonio Abate and Santa Francesca Cabrini, Pope Leo reflected on the saint's example for the Church today.
Parish of Saints Anthony the Abbot and Francesca Cabrini (Sant'Angelo Lodigiano)
Saturday, June 20, 2026
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FULL TEXT Speech of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters ,

I am happy to greet all of you, fellow citizens and compatriots of Santa Francesca Saverio Cabrini ! I thank the Bishop, Monsignor Maurizio Malvestiti, and the parish priest, the mayor, and the other civil authorities.

I am here to pay homage to Mother Cabrini, patron saint of migrants , the first saint of the United States of America, born here in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano in 1850 and died in Chicago, my hometown, in 1917. When I learned that Sant'Angelo Lodigiano is just a few kilometers from Pavia, I immediately thought I would seize the opportunity... And here I am. Thank you, thank you for your warm welcome! In this way, you demonstrate to me the Church of Lodi's love for the Pope, a love that Mother Cabrini nurtured with singular devotion and obedience.

Indeed, when the time came to make a decisive choice about the "route" for the mission of her religious institute, she wanted the Pope to indicate it. And Leo XIII was clear: "Not to the East, but to the West," to serve the thousands of Italian emigrants in America, as the Bishop of Piacenza, St. John Baptist Scalabrini , had already suggested .

Through the voices of these two enlightened Pastors, Mother Cabrini interpreted the signs of the times and understood that the dream of going to China, emulating St. Francis Xavier , had to be realized where, at that moment, the need was greatest.

But, dear sisters and brothers, if we look at today's world, what should we say? That "sign," namely, the phenomenon of migration, has entered a different phase, certainly more complex, yet no less capable of challenging the Church.

Let us ask ourselves: if Mother Francesca were alive today, what would her missionary soul say to her? Or rather, what would the Heart of Christ say to her heart as a woman consecrated to Him and to the service of His Kingdom? And what would a Pope like Francis, the son of Italian immigrants, have asked of her? He has made service to migrants a key aspect of his pontificate.

Dear friends, Pope Francis wanted his third Encyclical, Dilexit nos , which turned out to be his last, to be dedicated to the “human and divine love of the Heart of Christ,” that is, to that mystery of infinite charity which is the only true “driving force” of Saint Cabrini ’s life , of everything she accomplished and, even more, of how she accomplished it. Well, in this Encyclical , Pope Francis writes: “The timeliness of devotion to the Heart of Christ is particularly evident in the evangelizing and educational work of numerous religious congregations of men and women which have been marked from their very beginnings by this Christological spiritual experience” ( n. 150 ).

For my part, I have inherited and carried forward the Magisterium of Pope Francis with the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te on love for the poor, and where charity is spoken of in the form of "accompanying migrants," the figure of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini appears right alongside Saint John Baptist Scalabrini . "Her maternal heart, which never gave itself peace, reached out to them—the emigrants—everywhere: in the slums, in the prisons, in the mines" ( n. 74 ). She herself wrote: "No task will be too difficult, no land too distant, no person too wounded by the love of the Heart of Jesus and by all those invited to be bearers of Christ's love in the world."

Brothers and sisters, what could be more timely than this charism? I say it here, before the relic of Mother Cabrini 's heart , brought from the Motherhouse in Codogno. I say it while greeting and affectionately thanking her spiritual daughters, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. What could be more timely than a missionary charism that places itself at the service of migrants?

I therefore take this opportunity to make an appeal, especially to young people: get to know Saint Frances Cabrini ! Read her writings, full of passion for Jesus and for the mission; her letters, her travel diaries, the notes of her retreats. Whoever knows Mother Cabrini is won over by her. Her soul was at once contemplative and active; she was immersed in the love of the Heart of Christ, and this gave her an extraordinary capacity for work and strength of spirit, consistent with the Pauline motto she had chosen for the Institute: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" ( Phil 4:13).

I address this appeal especially to the Church in Lodi, which welcomed me today with such affection! And I would like to express it as a wish: may the Church of San Bassiano always be distinguished by those traits that shine forth in this most glorious daughter of its. With her example and intercession, may Saint Cabrini help you to be in love with Christ, witnesses of his Gospel with a diligent and generous spirit, at the service of the poorest. May she help you to live an effective synodality, walking together and striving for holiness, in the variety of gifts and ministries. For this I assure you of my prayers.

Finally, I pray to the Lord for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in every community: may God bless them and renew their fidelity to the charism of Mother Cabrini. And may the entire Church look to this wonderful missionary of Love to learn what it means to serve the Kingdom of God in the midst of history.

To all of you and your loved ones I cordially impart my apostolic blessing. Thank you!

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Impromptu remarks from the Holy Father before leaving Sant'Angelo Lodigiano.

Good evening guys ,

There's a great gift you've all received today: patience and the ability to wait. Waiting is a sign of hope. Thank you for being a witness of hope! Never forget: you young people can change the world, and we are waiting, each and every one of you. May the Lord bless you today and always!

Thank you for being here, thank you for this joy, for this welcome. Welcome everyone into your hearts and with your works of charity. The Lord be with you.

May almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thank you, thank you all! See you soon!
Translation from the Vatican News Bulletin