Guwahati, February 22, 2026: Pope Leo XIV visited the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome’s Castro Pretorio district, urging the Church to stand as a visible sign of charity and closeness in neighborhoods marked by sharp social contrasts.

The parish, located near the busy Termini train station and entrusted to the Salesian Order, serves a community that includes university students, commuters, migrants, refugees, and people experiencing homelessness. In his homily during Mass, the Pope observed that “in just a few meters, one can touch the contradictions of this time” — where comfort and poverty, opportunity and exploitation coexist side by side.

He encouraged the faithful to respond not with indifference but with active love. “Closeness” and “charity,” he said, must become the Church’s response to widespread violence, illicit activity, and social fragmentation.

Highlighting the parish’s outreach initiatives — including a listening center offering psychological support, food distribution programs, and assistance for the homeless — the Pope praised the community’s efforts to embody the Gospel in concrete ways. He described each believer as called to be a “stronghold of closeness,” especially in areas facing moral and social challenges.

Reflecting on Lent, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful to rediscover the grace of Baptism and to examine the deeper question of freedom. True freedom, he noted, is not found in distancing oneself from God, but in embracing His love and mercy.

The Pope also greeted children, catechumens preparing for Easter sacraments, and volunteers engaged in charitable service, expressing gratitude for the parish’s tradition of welcoming all without distinction.

The visit forms part of Pope Leo XIV’s Lenten pastoral outreach to parishes across Rome, aimed at strengthening local communities and renewing their missionary commitment in the heart of the city.