Pope Leo XIV: First public outing at historic sanctuary

Pope Leo XIV made his first outing since his election, on Saturday afternoon, traveling to a sanctuary south of Rome that is dedicated to the Madonna and is of particular significance to his Augustinian order and his namesake, Pope Leo XIII.

Townspeople of Genazzano gathered in the square outside the main church housing the Madre del Buon Consiglio (Mother of Good Counsel) sanctuary as Leo arrived and greeted them. T

he sanctuary, which is managed by Augustinian friars, has been a place of pilgrimage since the 15th century and the previous Pope Leo elevated it to a minor basilica and expanded the adjacent convent in the early 1900s. After praying in the church, Leo greeted the faithful and offered a blessing.

En route back to the Vatican, he stopped to pray at Francis’ tomb at St. Mary Major Basilica.