Pope Leo XIV will visit five parishes in Rome between November 27 and December 20, during the season of Advent. The Pontiff will thus resume the pastoral visits he carried out during the past Lent, once again drawing near to the communities of the five sectors into which the Roman diocese is divided.
The program was announced this Wednesday, October 28, by the Vicariate of Rome. According to the published schedule, all visits will take place in the afternoon and will include meetings with the faithful, gatherings with parish participation bodies, and the celebration of Holy Mass.
The five parishes Leo XIV will visit during Advent
The first visit will take place on Friday November 27 at the parish of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte, located in the center of Rome, coinciding with the feast of the Miraculous Medal.
Two days later, on Sunday, November 29, the first Sunday of Advent, Leo XIV will go to the parish of San Carlo da Sezze, in Acilia, belonging to the southern sector of the diocese.
On Sunday, December 6, he will visit Sant’Eligio, in Lunghezza, within the eastern sector. A week later, on December 13, the third Sunday of Advent, he will be at the parish of Santa Lucia, in the western sector, coinciding with the feast of its patron saint.
Finally, on Sunday December 20, the fourth Sunday of Advent, the Pontiff will conclude this pastoral journey at the parish of San Roberto Bellarmino, located in the Roman neighborhood of Parioli, within the northern sector.
All five visits will follow a similar program. The Holy Father will be received by the cardinal vicar of Rome, Baldo Reina, accompanied by the auxiliary bishop of the corresponding sector and the parish priest. Afterward, he will hold meetings with the participation bodies and various parish groups before presiding over the Eucharist.
Cardinal Reina: “Our entire diocese is celebrating”
Cardinal Baldo Reina has highlighted the importance of these visits for the pastoral life of the Church of Rome.
“Through these parishes, our entire diocese is celebrating,” stated the Pope’s vicar, according to the Vicariate’s communiqué.
Reina explained that the meetings will also serve to advance the pastoral review that Leo XIV requested during the diocesan assembly at the beginning of the year.
“We will take advantage of these visits by the Holy Father to carry out what he himself told us at the beginning-of-the-year assembly, namely, to conduct a pastoral evaluation within our communities,” he noted.
In this way, the visits will allow the Pope to get to know the activity of the parishes up close and to meet the priests and faithful who take part in their daily life.
The first visit will coincide with the feast of the Miraculous Medal
The first community to receive the Pontiff will be that of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte, a Roman church especially linked to Marian devotion.
In this church, entrusted to the friars of the Order of Minims, the apparition of the Blessed Virgin to Alfonso Ratisbonne took place on January 20, 1842. The young Alsatian Jew’s experience led to his conversion to Catholicism.
The Pope’s visit will coincide with the feast of the Miraculous Medal, which each year gathers numerous faithful.
The vice-parish priest, Father Taras Yeher, expressed his joy at the news. “Receiving the Holy Father is a source of great joy for us; receiving him on the feast day is an even greater gift from the Lord and the Virgin,” he stated.
The priest recalled that since last May the parish has been carrying out a mission to get to know better the people who live and work in its surroundings, under the motto “Mary visits us.”
The initiative seeks to reach out especially to those who frequent the center of Rome for work reasons and regularly pass by the shrine.
The parish priests receive the announcement of the visits with joy
At San Carlo da Sezze, parish priest Simone Giovannella explained that he had requested a visit from the Pontiff from the cardinal vicar, especially because next year the community will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the dedication of its church.
The priest highlighted the parish’s work in accompanying young people and people in need, as well as the participation of numerous young people in community life.
For his part, Father Dario Frattini, parish priest of Sant’Eligio, described the news as an unexpected gift.
“We need to be confirmed in the faith,” the priest noted, emphasizing the importance of receiving the visit of the Bishop of Rome as a sign of closeness and encouragement for the faithful.
At Santa Lucia, parish priest Simone Carosi also expressed his satisfaction with the visit, which will take place precisely on the patronal feast day. The priest, who recently assumed responsibility for the community, considered the Pope’s presence a special gift for the parish.
The last community to receive Leo XIV will be San Roberto Bellarmino. Its vice-parish priest, Antonio Panico, stated that the visit will constitute “an occasion of joy and a moment of ecclesial communion.”
The parish, which a few months ago received its new parish priest, Andrea Lonardo, is thus preparing to welcome the Pontiff in the final week of Advent.
With this journey, Leo XIV will continue his direct contact with the parish communities of Rome, resuming an initiative he already carried out during Lent and which will allow the faithful of the different sectors of the diocese to meet their bishop and celebrate the Eucharist with him.