During a Lenten pastoral stop near Rome\u2019s Termini station, the pope joked that he once considered joining the Salesians: \u201cThey came in second place, sorry!\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday visited Rome\u2019s Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in the central Castro Pretorio neighborhood, steps from Termini station, telling parishioners that true freedom \u201cis fulfilled by saying yes to God\u201d and urging the community to be a visible sign of charity in an area marked by sharp social contrasts.<\/p>\n
The visit was part of the pope\u2019s Lenten round of pastoral stops at parishes across Rome.<\/p>\n
In his homily, the pope invited Catholics to rediscover baptism as a source of freedom and new life, describing Lent as an \u201cintense\u201d season that offers an opportunity to \u201crediscover\u201d the richness of the sacrament and to live as people renewed through Jesus\u2019 incarnation, death, and resurrection.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on readings from Genesis and the Gospel account of the temptations, Leo said they shed light on baptism as a gift \u201cthat encounters our freedom.\u201d The Genesis narrative, he added, is not primarily about \u201ca prohibition, as is often believed,\u201d but reveals the human person as \u201cfree to recognize and welcome the otherness of the Creator.\u201d<\/p>\n
He warned that the serpent instead \u201csuggests the presumption of being able to erase all difference between creatures and the Creator,\u201d enticing with \u201cthe illusion of becoming like God.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pope said the answer to the question \u2014 whether life is fulfilled by saying \u201cyes\u201d to God or by freeing oneself from him \u2014 is found in Christ. Citing Gaudium et spes, he said that in the mystery of the incarnate Word, the mystery of the human person finds true light. Jesus, he explained, rejects temptation and \u201cshows us the new man, the free man,\u201d an epiphany of freedom realized by saying yes to God.<\/p>\n
Leo added that this \u201cnew humanity\u201d is born from the baptismal font, calling baptism an inner voice that urges believers to conform themselves to Jesus, freeing their liberty so it finds its fullness in love of God and neighbor. Against a view of freedom as individual power, he proposed freedom expressed in self-giving: not the pursuit of one\u2019s own power, but love that is given \u2014 \u201cand that makes us all brothers and sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning to the local reality around Termini, the pope noted that within a few meters one can feel \u201cthe contradictions of our time\u201d: the comfort of travelers alongside those without shelter, \u201cmany potentialities for good\u201d as well as expanding violence, the desire to work honestly alongside illicit trade in drugs and prostitution.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour parish is called to take on these realities,\u201d he told the community, encouraging them to be \u201cleaven of the Gospel\u201d in the neighborhood and a sign of closeness and charity. He also thanked the Salesians serving the parish for keeping \u201ca small flame of light and hope\u201d alive.<\/p>\n
Leo arrived at the parish complex shortly after 8:15 a.m., welcomed by applause and ringing bells. A banner on the church fa\u00e7ade read, \u201cWelcome, Pope Leo XIV.\u201d Before heading to the sacristy, he briefly greeted the faithful and, passing journalists, said: \u201cLet us pray for peace.\u201d He later added spontaneously: \u201cThank you for this joy. How beautiful to find oneself in a place where everyone is welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later, during an encounter with the parish pastoral council, the pope made a lighthearted remark about his youth, saying that before entering the Augustinian order he had visited Salesian communities as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was young, before entering the Augustinians, I also made a visit to the Salesian community,\u201d he said. \u201cThey came in second place \u2014 sorry!\u201d drawing laughter from those present.<\/p>\n
Smiling, he added that something of the Salesian charism has remained close to him. In his first 10 months as pope, he said, he has visited more Salesian communities than Augustinian ones, emphasizing his affection for the congregation and its educational and pastoral work.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething remained in my heart, united to you, in the Salesian community,\u201d he said, praising what he called God\u2019s providence in the Salesian vocation of service to young people and educational ministry across the world.<\/p>\n
Leo entered the Augustinian novitiate on Sept. 1, 1977, before his priestly ordination, according to ACI Prensa.<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0in\u00a0two parts\u00a0by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n