American Pope Leo XIV proclaims the greatness of God in his homily in the Mass he celebrated at the Carabinieri’s headquarters in Castel Gandolfo. (Photo from the Vatican News)
LAZIO, Rome — Amidst the prevalence of injustice all over the globe, Pope Leo XIV has admonished Christians to remember that evil will never triumph against good and God will always protect those who are faithful to His Word.
The pope celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Carabinieri’s headquarters in Castel Gandolfo in the hilltop town near Rome and in his homily, he expressed his gratitude for the Italian gendarmerie’s efforts to protect pilgrims visiting Rome during the Jubilee Year.
The headquarters are located in the Villa dei Gesuiti (Jesuits’ House), which is owned by the Holy See and leased to the Carabinieri, the Jesuit and local residents. The Carabinieri, meanwhile, are the national gendarmerie of Italy, a form of military police who fall under the authority of the Italian Armed Forces and whose responsibilities include inland public order and security.
As Pope Leo continued his summer holidays, he told members of the Carabinieri and other attendees to the special Mass to “never believe that evil can prevail, even amid injustices.”
Italy’s Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto and the General Commander of the Carabinieri Salvatore Luongo attended the occasion, along with Archbishop of Italy for the Military Gian Franco Saba.
Leo focused on the Christian greeting of “brother and sister,” which he said represent relationships repeated as signs of closeness and affection in the liturgy.
“We are all truly brothers and sisters of Jesus when we do the will of God, that is, when we live by loving one another as God has loved us,” he pointed out emphatically.
Every relationship, he continued, becomes a gift in Jesus, since He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts when we love one another.
“God’s love is so great that Jesus does not keep even His mother for Himself, entrusting Mary as our mother at the hour of the cross,” he cited.
The Pope likewise noted that the Blessed Mother Mary is considered the first disciple because she first welcomed the word of God into her heart with love and faithfulness.
He recalled that the Carabinieri recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Faithful Virgin (Virgo Fidelis) as Patroness of the Carabinieri Corps. In the wake of the Second World War, the Carabinieri looked to Mary’s faithfulness as a model of every officer’s fidelity to the Italian people and nation.
Pope Leo then expressed his gratitude to the Carabinieri for their “noble and demanding service” to the Italian people and for protecting the millions of pilgrims visiting Rome: “In the face of injustices that wound the social order, do not yield to the temptation to think that evil can prevail.”