Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass on July 15 in the chapel at the Carabinieri station in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, where he is on vacation. The Carabinieri are the national gendarmerie of Italy, a form of military police. 

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Reflecting in his homily on the day’s Gospel (Matthew 11:20-24), the pontiff emphasized that there is a bond “stronger than blood” that unites every man and woman who is in Christ. 

In this regard, he explained that “we are truly brothers and sisters of Jesus when we do the will of God,” that is, “when we live loving one another, as God has loved us.”

“Every relationship that God lives, in himself and for us,” the pope continued, “thus becomes a gift: when his only Son becomes our brother, his Father becomes our Father, and the Holy Spirit, who unites the Father and the Son, comes to dwell in our hearts.”

The Holy Father thus noted that “God’s love is so great that Jesus does not even keep for himself his mother, giving Mary as our mother at the hour of the cross.”

From the chapel of Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo explained that Mary becomes the mother of Jesus “because she listens to the word of God with love, welcomes it into her heart, and lives it faithfully.”

The pope also emphasized her fidelity to the Word she received from God: “the Word of life that she welcomed, carried in her womb, and offered to the world.”

Don’t give in to temptation ‘of thinking that evil can triumph’

He then noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the faithful Virgin, the “Virgo fidelis,” as patroness of the Carabinieri, Italy’s national military police force after which the chapel at Castel Gandolfo is named.

He also recalled when, in 1949, Pope Pius XII welcomed this “beautiful proposal” from the Carabinieri’s general command.

“After the tragedy of the war, in a period of moral and material reconstruction, Mary’s fidelity to God thus became a model of fidelity” of the Carabinieri “toward the homeland and the Italian people,” he emphasized.

This virtue, for Pope Leo, “expresses the dedication, purity, and constancy of commitment to the common good, which the Carabinieri safeguard by guaranteeing public safety and defending the rights of all, especially those in danger.”

The pontiff expressed his profound gratitude, especially for the “noble and demanding” service they provide to Italy and the Holy See.

After also recalling the Carabinieri motto, “Nei secoli fedele” (“Faithful throughout the centuries”), which expresses “the sense of duty and self-denial of each member of the armed forces, even to the point of self-sacrifice,” he asked them not to give in “to the temptation of thinking that evil can triumph.”

“Especially in this time of wars and violence, remain faithful to your oath: as servants of the state, respond to crime with the force of law and honesty. This is how the Carabinieri, the ‘Benemerita’ [well-deserving], will always deserve the esteem of the Italian people,” he emphasized.

In conclusion, he remembered the police officers who have given their lives in the line of duty, such as Venerable Salvo D’Acquisto, whose beatification process is ongoing.

The Holy Father will remain at the papal summer complex, located about 18 miles from the center of Rome, until July 20 and will return again Aug. 15–17.

After the Mass, Pope Leo XIV visited the monastery of the Poor Clares in Albano, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.