Pope Leo XIV Calls Roman Parish to Humility, Peace and Gospel Coherence in First Visit
Pope Leo XIV made his first visit to a Roman parish since his election, celebrating Mass at Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia and urging the local community to reject division and cultivate humility, peace, and fidelity to the Gospel. The visit, which comes nine months into his pontificate, marked an important pastoral moment in his role as Bishop of Rome.
Reflecting on the parish’s history, the Pope recalled that it was named by Pope Benedict XV during the First World War, a time overshadowed by violence and uncertainty. Drawing a parallel with the present, he warned that many clouds still darken the world, including attitudes that glorify power, encourage arrogance, and seek victory at any cost. Such logics, he said, are contrary to the Gospel and deaf to the suffering of the vulnerable.
Pope Leo invited parishioners to respond not with confrontation but with what he described as the disarming force of meekness. Peace, he explained, is not merely an abstract ideal but a concrete gift rooted in Christ. Quoting Saint Augustine, he noted that peace is within reach when hearts are opened to God’s transforming grace. True peace, he said, is found in allowing oneself to be shaped by Christ and in extending that openness to others encountered each day.
Before celebrating Mass, the Pope met with children preparing for the sacraments, elderly parishioners, the sick, and volunteers engaged in charitable outreach. His gestures underscored the message later delivered in his homily, where he emphasized that the commandments of God are not restrictive burdens but a path to authentic freedom.
In his preaching, Pope Leo described God’s law as a pedagogy that guides humanity toward fullness of life. The Ten Commandments, he said, united the people of Israel and illuminated their journey. Their fulfillment, however, is found not in formal observance alone but in love, which gives meaning to every precept. The grace of the Holy Spirit enables believers to live this law from within.
He cautioned against judging or despising others, reminding the faithful that social evils begin in hardened hearts lacking mercy. Even in Ostia, he acknowledged, communities face violence, organized crime, and the exploitation of young people through drugs and other destructive paths. In this context, he encouraged parishioners to invest in education, especially for children and youth, and to promote respect and harmony beginning with their own words and actions.
Citing the Second Vatican Council’s constitution Gaudium et Spes, the Pope reiterated that the Church shares in the joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties of humanity, particularly the poor and those who suffer. He urged the parish to be a place where faith and life are coherent, where honesty, welcome, and love that transcends boundaries are lived out daily.
