Pope Leo XIV will visit with the poor assisted by the Diocese of Albano, celebrating Holy Mass on Sunday, August 17, and then joining them for lunch after the Angelus.
By Vatican News
UPDATED
On Sunday, August 17, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to celebrate Holy Mass in Albano with the poor assisted by the diocese.
A statement released on Thursday by the Prefecture of the Papal Household announced that Pope Leo will visit the Shrine of Santa Maria della Rotonda in the little town in the Alban Hills close to Castel Gandolfo, the location of the summer Papal Residence.
The statement said staff members of the diocesan Caritas office will join the Mass scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the Shrine.
At noon, the Angelus will follow in Piazza della Libertà in Castel Gandolfo.
In a subsequent statement, the Diocese of Albano revealed that Pope Leo will visit Borgo Laudato Si’ where he will share lunch with the poor.
“We are filled with joys at the Pope’s return to Albano, and at the fact that he has accepted the proposal of our Caritas, of which I am the spokesperson, to have lunch with the poor, whom we carry in our hearts, and with those who assist them with care and attention every day,” said Bishop Vincenzo Viva of Albano. He noted, too, “This is the first time that Leo XIV will meet the poor during his pontificate, and we are delighted that he is starting with our diocese.”
The statement from the Diocese indicated that the lunch is being organized in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development – which manages the Laudato Si’ Village – with Pope Leo and Bishop Viva welcoming about 100 guests from family homes and shelters within the diocese; and others assisted by Caritas, along with Caritas director Alessio Rossi and some volunteers.
After having spent a brief summer break in Castel Gandolfo at the Papal Residence before coming back to the Vatican at the end of July, in time to celebrate the Jubilee of Youth, the Holy Father will return to the hilltop town on Friday, August 15. After the Sunday Angelus on August 17, he will return to the Vatican.
This article was updated Tuesday, 8 August 2025, with details of Pope Leo’s schedule for lunch with those assisted by the Diocese of Albano.
