Pope Leo XIV urges Italians to rediscover their faith during prayer before remains of St. Augustine

By — Nicole Winfield, Associated Press Nicole Winfield, Associated Press By — Brian Hendrie, Associated Press Brian Hendrie, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/pope-leo-xiv-urges-italians-to-rediscover-their-faith-during-prayer-before-remains-of-st-augustine Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pope Leo XIV urges Italians to rediscover their faith during prayer before remains of St. Augustine World Jun 20, 2026 1:15 PM EDT PAVIA, Italy (AP) — Pope Leo XIV encouraged Italians on Saturday to rediscover their lagging Catholic faith during a visit to northern Italy where he prayed before the relics of St. Augustine, the intellectual giant of the early Christian church and inspiration of his religious spirituality. Leo traveled by helicopter to Pavia, near Milan, where the remains of the fifth-century saint are kept. Leo prayed quietly before the small gold-rimmed glass box containing the remains that had been brought to the altar of the San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro basilica for the occasion. Leo's day trip, during which he was also due to honor the first American saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, marked the midway point of his summer 2026 grand tour of Italy. The American pope has scheduled a series of Saturday day trips up and down the peninsula and its islands to get to know his new flock. READ MORE: Pope Leo XIV warns against 'fanning the flames of polarization' on first papal visit to Spain in 15 years The visit to Pavia was a required stop for history's first Augustinian pope. Leo proclaimed himself a "son of St. Augustine" on the night of his election and has cited Augustine prolifically in his first year, making clear that the saint is the guiding inspiration of his pontificate. In his remarks to the faithful in the basilica, Leo urged Italians to discover or rediscover their faith and pointed to Augustine as a model. Like many once-Christian strongholds in Europe, Italy has seen its churches empty in recent years amid secularizing trends, with fewer and fewer Italians getting married in the church or going to Mass regularly. "At a time when many people seem to have lost their spiritual appetite or, for various reasons, no longer find the Christian faith appealing for their lives, we are called first and foremost to proclaim the Gospel," Leo said. He pointed to Augustine as a source of inspiration for today's faithful. Augustine was born in 354 in what is today Algeria, but he lived for five years in and around Milan, where he converted to Christianity. He later became a bishop, developed a rule for monastic life and wrote some of the most important works of Western thought, including "Confessions" and "The City of God." READ MORE: Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for Vatican's role in legitimizing slavery "His thought, the story of his conversion, and his spirituality remind us of the value and primacy of interiority," of finding meaning inside ones