Pope Leo XIV urges German college in Rome to stay united with the successor of Peter

Pope Leo XIV received the members of the Pontifical Teutonic College of Santa Maria in Campo Santo on October 3, 2026, in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace, to mark the institution's 150th anniversary. Speaking to the rector, the priests and the faithful associated with the college, the pope asked them to maintain "closeness and unity with the Successor of Peter and with the faith of the apostles that he proclaims."

The pope said that "this one faith in Christ is the principle of the unity among believers for which the Lord prayed for his disciples, since it is an essential condition for the credibility of our witness." He encouraged those present to make that prayer of Jesus their own and to ask for the gift that the college be a place where such unity is practiced and made visible in concrete ways.

The Pontifical Teutonic College, founded in 1876, is a residence in Rome for German priests pursuing advanced studies. For a century and a half it has trained clergy and promoted the Catholic faith among German students in the city.