Pope Leo XIV urges young people not to fear demanding life choices
During a one-day pastoral visit to San Marino and Rimini on August 22, the pope met the republic's leaders, clergy and young people before joining the Rimini Meeting and celebrating Mass
Pope Leo XIV began his pastoral visit to the Republic of San Marino and the Italian city of Rimini on August 22, leaving the Vatican heliport by helicopter at 8 a.m. He landed at the Torraccia airfield at 8:45 a.m.
From there he traveled to Piazza della Libertà for a series of meetings. At the Palazzo Pubblico he met the secretaries of state. He then held a private meeting with the Captains Regent, San Marino's two heads of state, in the Hall of the Council of the Twelve, where he signed the book of distinguished guests. A meeting in the Hall of the Grand and General Council was scheduled for 10:40 a.m. The pope then greeted the faithful from the central balcony of the Palazzo Pubblico and gave an apostolic blessing.
The pope met the clergy and the church community of San Marino in the Basilica of San Marino, where he was received by Bishop Domenico Beneventi of San Marino-Montefeltro and the rector, Father Marco Mazzanti. The visit included eucharistic adoration and the veneration of the relics of St. Marinus, with priests, consecrated men and women and representatives of church life in the diocese taking part.
The pope also made a private visit to the Monastery of St. Anthony of Padua of the Augustinian nuns in Pennabilli. During the Second World War the nuns took in religious communities facing deportation and young people from families displaced from Rimini. The community is now made up of 11 nuns in solemn vows, two in temporary vows and a novice.
The Rimini Meeting and a meeting with the sick
The pope landed at the Rimini Fiera exhibition center at 2:45 p.m. for the Rimini Meeting. He visited two exhibitions, one on St. Augustine and one on Leon Harmel, and stopped at the Children's Village to greet participants. A meeting in the main auditorium followed at 4 p.m.
The day ended with a meeting at 5:30 p.m. in Rimini Cathedral with sick and disabled people and people in poverty helped by Caritas. The pope then celebrated Mass in Piazza del Porto at 6:30 p.m., with his return to the Vatican expected at about 9 p.m.
The pope asks young people to keep the window to the infinite open
At the Basilica of San Marino, Pope Leo XIV spoke to young people of the region. He urged them not to be afraid of demanding decisions in their lives, such as marriage, consecrated life and ordained ministry, as well as in their working lives and their social and political commitments.
The pope said young people should take up their mission in the world with enthusiasm and discern their own vocation, which is unique to each person. "Give your lives without reserve," he told them, recalling what Pope Benedict XVI said to young people in San Marino 15 years ago: "Your heart is a window open to the infinite!" Leo XIV urged them to "keep this window open."
With God's help, he said, "your dreams will have the strength to leave a mark on history and to make it better." He thanked priests, catechists and educators for their "humble and valuable service" to the community.
The pope said the family plays an essential role as the first place where the faith is formed, calling it the "natural womb" where the Gospel is learned and lived from childhood. He closed by calling for a "strong formative synergy" between families and church communities and suggested that an "educational pact" was needed to strengthen education and faith among young people in San Marino.
