During a Lenten pastoral stop near Rome’s Termini station, the pope joked that he once considered joining the Salesians: “They came in second place, sorry!”
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday visited Rome’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in the central Castro Pretorio neighborhood, steps from Termini station, telling parishioners that true freedom “is fulfilled by saying yes to God” and urging the community to be a visible sign of charity in an area marked by sharp social contrasts.
The visit was part of the pope’s Lenten round of pastoral stops at parishes across Rome.
In his homily, the pope invited Catholics to rediscover baptism as a source of freedom and new life, describing Lent as an “intense” season that offers an opportunity to “rediscover” the richness of the sacrament and to live as people renewed through Jesus’ incarnation, death, and resurrection.
Reflecting on readings from Genesis and the Gospel account of the temptations, Leo said they shed light on baptism as a gift “that encounters our freedom.” The Genesis narrative, he added, is not primarily about “a prohibition, as is often believed,” but reveals the human person as “free to recognize and welcome the otherness of the Creator.”
He warned that the serpent instead “suggests the presumption of being able to erase all difference between creatures and the Creator,” enticing with “the illusion of becoming like God.”
The pope said the answer to the question — whether life is fulfilled by saying “yes” to God or by freeing oneself from him — 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 “shows us the new man, the free man,” an epiphany of freedom realized by saying yes to God.
Leo added that this “new humanity” 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’s own power, but love that is given — “and that makes us all brothers and sisters.”
Turning to the local reality around Termini, the pope noted that within a few meters one can feel “the contradictions of our time”: the comfort of travelers alongside those without shelter, “many potentialities for good” as well as expanding violence, the desire to work honestly alongside illicit trade in drugs and prostitution.
“Your parish is called to take on these realities,” he told the community, encouraging them to be “leaven of the Gospel” in the neighborhood and a sign of closeness and charity. He also thanked the Salesians serving the parish for keeping “a small flame of light and hope” alive.
Leo arrived at the parish complex shortly after 8:15 a.m., welcomed by applause and ringing bells. A banner on the church façade read, “Welcome, Pope Leo XIV.” Before heading to the sacristy, he briefly greeted the faithful and, passing journalists, said: “Let us pray for peace.” He later added spontaneously: “Thank you for this joy. How beautiful to find oneself in a place where everyone is welcome.”
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.
“When I was young, before entering the Augustinians, I also made a visit to the Salesian community,” he said. “They came in second place — sorry!” drawing laughter from those present.
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.
“Something remained in my heart, united to you, in the Salesian community,” he said, praising what he called God’s providence in the Salesian vocation of service to young people and educational ministry across the world.
Leo entered the Augustinian novitiate on Sept. 1, 1977, before his priestly ordination, according to ACI Prensa.
This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
