CT News
Feb. 16, 2026 : On the Sunday before the start of the Lenten season, the Roman neighborhood of Ostia welcomed Pope Leo XIV in the afternoon. He arrived around 3:45 p.m. for his visit to the Parish of St. Mary Queen of Peace — the first of five Sunday stops leading up to Easter.
The Pope was greeted by the Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina and the parish priest, Fr. Giovanni Patané. The crowd area around the parish was filled with people, greeting the Pope in a place marked by the spiritual legacy of Saint Augustine and his mother, Saint Monica.
“This is my first visit to a parish in my new diocese. I am very happy to begin here, in Ostia—especially in a parish dedicated to Saint Mary, Queen of Peace, a title so meaningful in the times we are living”, the pope noted.
As the season of Lent begins, Pope Leo XIV's first parish visit sends a clear message: Ostia must not resign itself to injustice. Its hope is alive—especially in its young people.
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