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Pope Leo’s address to the ecclesial community of San Marino
Basilica of San Marino – Saturday, 22 August 2026
Address of the Holy Father
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am happy to meet you in this Basilica dedicated to the holy Deacon Marinus, your Patron.
I greet your Bishop and thank for his kind words.
I also greet the priests, consecrated men and women and the representatives of the diocesan life, as well as all those present.
I would like us to live this moment together as a pause on our common journey in the footsteps of Christ
I would like us to experience this moment together as a pause in our shared journey following in the footsteps of Christ.
The Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro has a rich history of faith and courage.
Eighteen centuries ago, Saint Marino and Saint Leo proclaimed Christianity, bringing new perspectives and values to the region.
This led to the birth of a culture and civilization centered on the human person as the image of God.
Laypeople and stonemasons, who were only later called to the ordained ministry, translated the message of the Gospel into a new community and political model characterized by Christian principles of freedom, mutual respect, and communion.
This model is still alive today.
It is beautiful to see how your diocesan and civil communities seek to carry forward the work of the founders with the same enthusiasm and fidelity.
For this reason, I would like to pause and reflect with you on some important aspects of your journey as a church.
I address myself first of all to young people, starting from what Pope Benedict XVI said to them on his visit here fifteen years ago: “Do not stop at partial, immediate answers […] easier at the moment and more comfortable, which can give you a few moments of happiness, exaltation, intoxication, but which do not lead you to the true joy of living” (Meeting with Young People, 19 June 2011); and then he added: “Your heart is a window open to infinity!”
Dear young people, keep this window open!
Follow the paths traced in you by your great desires for beauty, goodness, and life with the gaze of your soul.
If you carefully observe these paths and listen to their voice, they will lead you upward to an encounter with God. There, he will seek and wait for you.
With his help, your dreams will have the strength to influence and improve the story.
The second invitation I extend to you is to embrace your mission in the world with enthusiasm!
First, seek to understand your unique calling and appreciate its greatness.
Then, dedicate yourself to it, investing all the gifts God has granted you.
Do not be afraid to make demanding choices such as marriage, consecration, ordained ministry, a professional career, and social and political commitment.
Prepare as well as possible for the responsibilities that lie ahead.
Get involved in charitable and justice initiatives and projects.
In this way, you too will contribute to bearing witness to peace, as the motto of my visit says.
In this regard, I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to the priests, catechists, and all the educators who work to promote the human and Christian growth of children through various initiatives and programs.
Dear friends, yours is hidden yet very important work. It is humble and precious because it supports parents, who are primarily responsible for educating their children in the faith.
The family is the primary place of faith formation, the natural environment in which the Gospel is learned and embraced daily from childhood.
For this reason, wise pastoral care fosters a strong formative synergy between families and ecclesial communities—an educational pact—so that parents feel involved, rediscover their faith, and experience the joy of transmitting Christian values to their children.
As for the contents, the paths of growth, especially in Christian initiation, we should primarily communicate the beauty and significance of baptismal and sacramental life. This will allow paths of holiness to develop and strengthen within communities and foster the development of an awareness of one’s prophetic, priestly, and royal dignity. Following the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the liturgy should be given careful attention, and the faithful should be encouraged to participate in it as a collective, unified body.
Each member should draw strength from the Lord’s Table to illuminate the world’s paths.
We believe that the Gospel is a path to freedom for people of all ages. In Jesus Christ and his Word, humanity’s joys, wounds, and deepest questions find meaning and definitive answers.
Therefore, we are convinced that the greatest gift we can give to our brothers and sisters is to help them encounter Jesus Christ, God made man, who died and rose for us, and find salvation in him.
In this spirit, we practice charity in all its forms without hesitation, always keeping in mind the ultimate and integral well-being of those we support.
We live in a world wounded by many conflicts. We are concerned by the increase in violence, isolation, and fear of others.
In the face of these disturbing trends, we can only respond by walking with greater conviction on the path of the Gospel.
Inspired by His teachings, we strive to build a society “based on respect for one’s own freedom and that of others, and above all, on respect for the sacred will of God” (St. John Paul II, Homily, San Marino, August 29, 1982).
This society promotes attention to the weakest among us, forgiveness, communion, and solidarity.
In this regard, I would like to emphasize the importance and prophetic value of experiences of mutual support and closeness.
In the most remote areas of this territory, small communities rely on these experiences to address depopulation and a lack of services.
These experiences help them maintain a sense of family and community.
These seemingly small and marginal realities are like flames from which we can draw to rekindle and reanimate the fire of solid, ancient, and everlasting values in everyone. Such experiences bear witness to the warmth of that magnificent humanitas to which we must aspire in order to overcome the individualism of metropolitan and consumerist cultures, as well as other forms of distrustful and divisive parochialism.
These experiences breathe life into our hopes for fraternity and peace.
Dear brothers and sisters,
The last word is the one closest to my heart: communion.
In our communities, we bear witness to unity between parishes, between pastors and the faithful, and between the different charisms and ministries within them.
This is part of the Gospel heritage that Saints Marino and Leo left us, and it is our mission to continue it with constancy and dedication, building on what they began.
May the Lord bless and sustain you on your journey through their intercession.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your warm welcome! I carry you in my prayers, and I am sure you will continue to pray for the Pope, too.
Thank you!
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Words of Pope Leo to the young people gathered in the square as they left the Basilica
So, you only listened a little during the speech.
I can repeat the same words that began with, “Open the door of your heart. Always listen to Jesus Christ. Never be afraid to listen to what Jesus wants to say to each one of you.”
Yes, I have something very important to tell you young people: recognize the value of your life.
You were created by God and loved by God, so your life has so much value—for us, for the Church, for your family, and for the whole world.
Believe in what God has created because you are all children of God, and God loves you.
Living with this sense of love in your heart will provide you with everything you need throughout your life.
Be generous and open to serving others. Seek to form authentic friendships because in friendship, we can build community.
You have such a beautiful motto here in San Marino! It’s just one word: “Libertas.”
You have certainly heard it many times.
We find authentic freedom only in Jesus Christ and in the truth. Jesus came to give us life and help us recognize the truth in a world so often full of lies and deception.
If you have Jesus Christ in your heart and the freedom to follow him, there is no need to be afraid.
Jesus walks with us, and he summons us all to walk together.
Thank you! Thank you all!
And we are truly one community, always united.
