By Devin Watkins
As he continued his summer holidays in Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV presided at Mass in the chapel of the Carabinieri headquarters in the hilltop town near Rome.
The headquarters are located in the Villa dei Gesuiti (“Jesuits’ House”), which is owned by the Holy See and leased to the Carabinieri, the Jesuits, and local residents.
The Carabinieri are the national gendarmerie of Italy, a form of military police who fall under the authority of the Italian Armed Forces and whose responsibilities include inland public order and security.
Italy’s Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, and the General Commander of the Carabinieri, Salvatore Luongo, attended the Mass in Castel Gandolfo, along with Archbishop Gian Franco Saba, Archbishop of Italy for the Military.
Brothers and sisters in Christ
In his homily, Pope Leo focused on the Christian greeting of “brother and sister,” which he said represent relationships repeated as signs of closeness and affection in the liturgy.
“We are all truly brothers and sisters of Jesus when we do the will of God, that is, when we live by loving one another as God has loved us,” he said.
Every relationship, continued the Pope, becomes a gift in Jesus, since He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts when we love one another.
“God’s love is so great,” he said, “that Jesus does not keep even His mother for Himself, entrusting Mary as our mother at the hour of the cross.”
The Pope noted that Mary is considered the first disciple because she first welcomed the word of God into her heart with love and faithfulness.
Fidelity in times of trial
He recalled that the Carabinieri recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Faithful Virgin (Virgo Fidelis) as Patroness of the Carabinieri Corps.
In the wake of the Second World War, the Carabinieri looked to Mary’s faithfulness as a model of every officer’s fidelity to the Italian people and nation, said the Pope.
Pope Leo then expressed his gratitude to the Carabinieri for their “noble and demanding service” to the Italian people and for protecting the millions of pilgrims visiting Rome.
“In the face of injustices that wound the social order, do not yield to the temptation to think that evil can prevail,” he said. “Especially in this time of wars and violence, remain faithful to your oath: as servants of the State, answer crime with the force of law and honesty.”
Visit to Poor Clares’ Convent in Albano
After the Mass, Pope Leo XIV made a brief visit to the Immaculate Conception Convent of the Poor Clares in Albano, where he took a moment to pray with the cloistered nuns in the chapel.
He then greeted the religious sisters and spoke with them in the chapter hall.
“It is good that the Church knows your life,” for it is a precious testimony, said Pope Leo, before gifting them a chalice and paten and returning to Castel Gandolfo. – Vatican News
