Pope Leo XIV Visit by surprise to the Clarisas nuns of Albano

Pope Leo XIV held his first “escape” by Castel Gandolfo to visit the monastery of the Immaculate Conception of the Claries of Albano, located inside the pontifical villas.

After celebrating a mass this morning in the chapel of the Carabinieri Station of Castel Gandolfo, where it is located during his holiday period, Pope León went to the nearby monastery, where he was warmly received by the religious.

The Pontiff stopped in prayer in the chapel of the monastery, sharing a moment of silence and recollection with the sisters, which he subsequently greeted one by one, highlighting that “it is beautiful that the Church knows your life, because it is a valuable testimony.”

This unexpected encounter left some images of tenderness, reflected in the faces of joy and gratitude of the sisters of Santa Clara, whose mission is to pray for the Pope, for the Church and for the whole reality of the city of the Vatican.

The monastery of the Clarisas de Albano, founded in 1631 during the Urban Pontificate VIII, retains from its origins a special link with the Holy See.

According to the Official Site From the state of the Vatican city, its foundation was due to the generosity of Princess Caterina Savelli and the princes of Albano, who donated the monastery to Sister Francesca Farnese, founder in turn of the Monastery of Farnese, in Viterbo, and promoter of a reform of strict clear observance.

Throughout the centuries, the religious have lived in this monastery a life of silence, prayer and contemplation, in fidelity to the charism of Santa Clara de Asís. They have also received visits from pontiffs, especially during the summer months.

Pope Francis He visited the community For the first time in July 2013, the occasion on which the “incalculable value” stated that the sisters attribute to prayer.

“I have come here because I know you pray for me! I thank you very much everything you do for the Church: prayer, penance, mutual care … Your vocation to contemplative life is beautiful,” Francisco said.

During a visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Monastery In 2007the pontiff stressed that “the spiritual bond that exists between you and Pedro’s successor is very narrow.”

In That occasionPope Ratzinger invited the sisters to be “ardent torches of love, ‘hands together’ that ensure incessant prayer, totally detached from the world, to sustain the ministry of the one whom Jesus has called to guide his church.”

Pope San Juan Paul II, during an encounter with them in August 1979, said that, of all the people “that the Pope loves closely, you are certainly the most precious.”

“The Vicar of Christ has an extreme need for your spiritual help and features above all with you, which, by divine vocation, you have chosen the best part, which is silence, prayer, contemplation, the exclusive love of God.”

Aware of this tradition, Pope Leo XIV wanted to visit them personally. Before saying goodbye, he signed in the monastery book and prayed with the sisters the Our Father.

As a sign of gratitude, Pope León gave the community a chalice and a patena for the celebration of Mass and the sisters, meanwhile, presented an icon of the face of Jesus.