Pope Leo XIV received on Monday, December 29, in a private audience a group of pilgrims from the parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova, from Alcalá de Henares (Spain), as part of their jubilee pilgrimage to Rome. The meeting took place in the Consistory Hall, as reported by the Vatican Bulletin.
During his speech, the Pontiff expressed his closeness to the parish community and thanked them for the spiritual accompaniment offered to the Successor of Peter throughout the Jubilee Year. In a context marked by the octave of Christmas, Leo XIV highlighted the value of ecclesial communion and the fidelity lived in the parish setting.
The example of Saint Thomas of Villanova
In his address, the Pope centered his message on the figure of Saint Thomas of Villanova, patron of the parish, underscoring three fundamental traits of his Christian life: constant prayer, industriousness, and love for the poor. The Pontiff recalled the deep spiritual interiority of the Augustinian saint, his life of dedicated work—especially in the university setting—and his commitment to the most needy, which earned him the title of “God’s almsgiver”.
Leo XIV encouraged the pilgrims to imitate these virtues in their personal, family, and community life, and particularly thanked the parish’s social sensitivity, recalling that the poor are not only recipients of help, but the presence of the Lord in the midst of the Christian community.
A pilgrimage prepared throughout the Jubilee
The parish priest, David Calahorra, explained to Alfa & Omega that the parish community prepared through monthly formation meetings and that more than 500 faithful renewed their baptismal promises. Finally, 150 pilgrims, representative of the various parish groups, traveled to Rome.
The meeting with the Pope was not initially part of the program. According to the parish priest’s testimony, the private audience took place after a letter sent to the Holy Father to inform him of the pilgrimage and wish him a Merry Christmas. The Vatican’s response, communicating the Pope’s desire to receive the group, was received as a surprise by the community. The Bishop of Alcalá de Henares, Antonio Prieto, accompanied the pilgrims in the meeting.
A message centered on welcoming the needy
During the meeting, which lasted nearly half an hour, all the pilgrims were able to personally greet the Pope and receive his blessing. According to Calahorra, the Holy Father’s message insisted on the need to imitate Saint Thomas of Villanova, especially in welcoming and caring for the poor.
As a sign of this commitment, the parish gave the Pope a commemorative coin with the image of the saint and a phrase that invites not only to give alms, but to work to lift people out of poverty. The Pontiff positively valued the gesture, which the community wants to turn into a pastoral sign of its parish life.
The meeting concluded with the Our Father prayer and the apostolic blessing, in an atmosphere that the pilgrims described as one of closeness and communion with the Successor of Peter.
We leave below the complete message of Leo XIV to the pilgrims from Alcalá de Henares:
In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.
Good morning. Welcome. Happy holidays!
I am pleased to meet you all on this day of the octave of Christmas and I welcome you. As a parish community, you have prepared this jubilee pilgrimage a great deal, and during this very special year for the Church, you have accompanied the Successor of Peter with your prayers and generosity. I thank you for this gesture of communion and closeness.
Your parish is under the patronage of Saint Thomas of Villanova, a Spanish Augustinian religious who was open to God’s action in his life, and whose availability led him to do much good for the Church and the society of his time. You know his biography well, and the city of Alcalá de Henares, where you live, preserves significant traces of his earthly passage.
Giving thanks for the testimony of dedication and fidelity of this saintly bishop, I would like to share some of his distinctive characteristics, which can help us reflect at the personal, family, and community level. In his life and writings, he reveals to us an incessant search for continuous prayer, that is, a holy restlessness to be in God’s presence at every moment. This implies a deep interiority, it involves emptying oneself to listen and to let the Lord work.
In addition to the spiritual life, Saint Thomas of Villanova stands out for his industriousness. This facet, in a world that seems to offer us everything in an increasingly fast and easy way, challenges us. His sobriety and simplicity, his selfless work—above all in the university setting—and his apostolic zeal lead us to think that we must recognize the talents we have received and put them at the service of the community, with effort and dedication, so that they may multiply for the benefit of all.
Finally, I would like to highlight his love for the poor, which earned him the title of “God’s almsgiver.” I have been told that in your parish this aspect is very present, in concrete gestures and works—the Bishop can tell me later if that is true or not—. I thank you for this sensitivity, because “the poor is not only someone who is helped, but the sacramental presence of the Lord” (Apost. Exhort. Dilexi te, 44).
Dear pilgrims, I encourage you to continue following in the footsteps of Christ; the testimony of the saints encourages and stimulates us on this exciting path. May God bless you and may Our Lady of Val always accompany you. Thank you very much.
Let us pray together: Our Father…
Apostolic Blessing of the Holy Father
Congratulations, good pilgrimage, and happy new year!