Pope Leo XIV to Augustinians in Pavia: Make Saint Augustine known to the whole Church

PAVIA, Italy – June 20, 2026. Before entering the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro for his pastoral visit in Pavia and to pray before the relics of Saint Augustine, Pope Leo XIV first paused to meet the Augustinian friars who have, for centuries, guarded the tomb of the Bishop of Hippo.

The encounter was brief—lasting no more than fifteen minutes—yet it carried an important message from the Holy Father to his brothers to share the teachings and spirituality of Saint Augustine to the world.

Around thirty friars gathered around the Holy Father at the refectory of the Augustinian community: members of the local community of Pavia headed by the Prior Fr. Gianfranco Casagrande, OSA, friars from Genoa, the Prior Provincial of the Italian Province, Fr. Gabriele Pedicino, OSA, together with his council, and the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, Fr. Joseph Farrell, OSA, with members of the General Curia community.

The private encounter was that of a family reunion.

"It is beautiful to find ourselves as a family," Pope Leo XIV said spontaneously, thanking the friars for their welcome and for the journeys many had made to be present.

The words were particularly meaningful in the first year of his Petrine ministry. Returning to Pavia, the Pope came not only as the Successor of Peter but also as an Augustinian friar returning to the place where the mortal remains of the spiritual father of the Order are venerated.

As a sign of affection and gratitude, the Augustinian community presented the Holy Father with a marble bas-relief depicting the Tolle Lege scene—the decisive moment of Saint Augustine's conversion, when he heard the child's voice saying, "Take and read," and encountered in the Scriptures the call that transformed his life.

Yet Pope Leo's message is spiritually moving as he spoke to his brothers who Saint Augustine is for the world today. "Saint Augustine, as we all know, is not our Saint Augustine," he said. "He belongs to the Church." Those words became the central theme of the encounter. "Our mission" the Pope continued, "is to make him known in the Church."

For Pope Leo XIV, the Augustinian mission today consists not in possessing Augustine's heritage but in offering it generously to the world. In an age marked by fragmentation and uncertainty, the Bishop of Hippo remains profoundly relevant.

"His message, especially for today's world, has a very deep meaning and could be of great help in these times of polarization, division, and even war and violence." The Pope then named the treasures that the Augustinian tradition places at the service of humanity: "The faith, courage, silence, interiority, and spirituality of Saint Augustine have so much to offer to the whole world." It was both an affirmation and a mandate. "Let us always continue this mission," he urged.

The Holy Father expressed particular joy upon hearing that since his election as Bishop of Rome, the number of pilgrims visiting the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro has noticeably increased. "This is a beautiful sign," he observed, "that people are searching for something or someone—for a message."

That search, he suggested, is the very space in which the Augustinian mission must be exercised today. The service entrusted to the friars is to offer not themselves, but the richness of the Augustinian tradition: "the message, the doctrine, the model of life, the ecclesiology, the love for Christ, the love for the Church" that shine through the life and writings of Saint Augustine.

The encounter concluded with words of gratitude and an invocation that seemed to summarize the entire visit. "Thank you for all that you do in your different communities. Thank you for being here. May Saint Augustine always help us to live this mission."

Moments later, Pope Leo XIV entered the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro for the Liturgy of the Word and the veneration of the relics of Saint Augustine.

But before kneeling in prayer before the saint's tomb, he had already entrusted to his fellow Augustinians a renewed understanding of their vocation: not to keep Augustine for themselves, but to make his voice heard anew by a world still searching for meaning, unity, and peace.