Pope Leo XIV at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Rome

Rome (Italy). On 22 February 2026, during his second visit to the parish communities of the Diocese of Rome, Pope Leo XIV visited the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Castro Pretorio neighborhood, entrusted to the Salesians of Don Bosco, adjacent to Termini Station. Commissioned by Pius IX, who laid the cornerstone in 1870, the Basilica was built thanks to the dedication and sacrifices of Don Bosco, to whom Pope Leo XIII entrusted it upon completion.

For the Salesians and for the entire Salesian Family, it therefore represents a point of reference that is not only effective, being the SDB Central Headquarters, but also emotional, as the Holy Founder celebrated his first and only Mass here, on 16 May 1887, a few months before his death, at the altar of Mary Help of Christians, still preserved in the Basilica and a destination for pilgrimages with requests for Graces.

The story of an FMA who participated in the event:

The sun is not yet high over the Castro Pretorio when the Salesians are ready to welcome the volunteers who are starting to arrive in the courtyard of Sacred Heart House. Anticipation is high, and the “organizational machine” has been working tirelessly for weeks to prepare for the visit of Pope Leo XIV, which follows, 12 years later, that of Pope Francis, remembered with emotion by many.

The Basilica and courtyard fill up quickly. The assembly is diverse, representative of the multitude of faces, stories, and backgrounds that inhabit the parish and the surrounding area every day. There are children and the elderly, catechism groups, religious sisters, volunteers, young people, Salesian Family groups, and civil authorities working in the area. The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians are present, one of three religious families—along with the Franciscan Poor Clare Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament and the Missionaries of the Risen Christ—who have historically collaborated with the parish, members of the Council of the “Educating Pastoral Community” (CEP).

Finally, the Pope crosses the threshold of the courtyard and, with simplicity and attentiveness, greets the thousand people who welcome him with special affection. He himself recognizes the beauty of being in a place where everyone feels welcome and remembers, invoking the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that it is precisely His love that has brought everyone together on this occasion.

The Mass is concelebrated, among others, by Cardinal Baldo Reina, Vicar for the Diocese of Rome; by Titular Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi; by the Rector Major of the Salesians, Father Fabio Attard; and by the parish priest, Father Javier Ortiz Rodriguez. Present in the Basilica are the Provincial of St. John Bosco Province (IRO), with her Council, and the FMA Community of Mary Help of Christians.

In his homily the Pope retraced the history of the Basilica, recognizing the Community as “a special outpost of proximity, of closeness to the challenges of this region,” for university students, workers, young refugees, and especially for the most marginalized. “In just a few meters, one can touch the contradictions of this time: the carefree attitude of those who leave and arrive with all the comforts, and those who lack a home; the many potentials for good and the pervasive violence; the desire to work honestly and the illicit trade in drugs and prostitution.” And yet, today, as then, the generosity of the many who contribute every day continues to flourish.

“I thank the Salesians for the tireless work they carry out every day, and I encourage everyone to continue to be a small flame of light and hope right here,” is his wish.

At the end of the Celebration, the parish priest, on behalf of the entire Community, thanks the Holy Father, giving him an icon of Jesus the Good Shepherd, with the hope that he will continue his mission as Successor of Peter according to the Heart of Christ.

Pope Leo XIV then met with the Pastoral Educating Council and the Salesian Community, offering words of encouragement and closeness. It is a caress that restores strength to the pace of daily life, enabling us to continue with hope and a spirit of dedication the arduous mission of being “the leaven of the Gospel in the dough of the territory.”

Papa Leone XIV ha poi incontrato il Consiglio educativo pastorale e la Comunità Salesiana, rivolgendo parole di incoraggiamento e di vicinanza. Una carezza che restituisce vigore al passo della quotidianità per continuare con speranza e spirito di donazione l’ardua missione di essere “lievito di Vangelo nella pasta del area”.

The event fulfills what Don Bosco prophesied in 1880 about the work of the Sacred Heart and which—a few hours after the event—Fr. Francesco Marcoccio, Rector of the Basilica, recalled in an interview. “We accepted it because, when the Pope is back in a normal situation, we will establish the central station in our house to evangelize the Roman countryside. It will be a work no less important than that of evangelizing Patagonia. Then the Salesians will be known and their glory will shine forth” (MB XIV, 592).

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