Pope Leo XIV came out “by surprise” of the Vatican on Tuesday, May 13, at the feast of the Virgin of Fatima, to visit the General Curia of the Augustinians in Rome.
After noon, the official car of the Holy Father could be seen entering the headquarters of the Order of San Agustín in the Eternal City, located on Paolo VI Street, a few meters from the Vatican.
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The Pope celebrated the Holy Mass privately with his Augustinian brothers and also had lunch with them, as he did almost daily when he was a cardinal.
Precisely, in this same house, Mons. Prevost exercised his second term as a prior general of the order of San Agustín between 2007 and 2013.
During his stage as a prefect of Dicastery for Bishops, the then Cardinal Prevost resided in the building of the Holy Office, very close to the Agustina community where less than 20 priests currently live.
Hundreds of people gathered at the door of the Augustinian curia to wait for the exit of Pope Leo XIV.
Fr. Alejandro Moral, a prior general of the Augustinians, explained that “came to eat here as usual and wanted to thank the community for it.”
“It was a family visit, of gratitude. It was a very, very familiar coexistence moment, very pleasant. Because he knows everyone and we all know him and that is why it is very pleasant,” he said in statements to Vatican News.
As specified, Pope Leo XIV encouraged them to “always be close to each other” and to live, “as San Agustín asks, communion.”
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
Graduated in journalism and advertising from the CEU San Pablo University of Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. It has been a senior correspondent for ACI Press and Ewtn News at the Vatican for two years and is currently a correspondent for Europe based on Spain.