Pope Leo XIV visits San Marino and addresses 60,000 youth in Rimini

Diplomatic arrival in San Marino

Pope Leo XIV arrived by helicopter in San Marino on the morning of 22 August 2026, marking the centenary of formal ties with the Holy See. Captains Regent Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva welcomed the pontiff alongside a Vatican delegation that included Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. Leo XIV appeared on the central balcony of the Palazzo Pubblico to greet crowds in Piazza della Libertà, becoming the first pope and first foreign head of state granted access to the balcony. Addressing local authorities in the Basilica of San Marino, the pontiff praised the microstate's governance model.

The Republic of San Marino can be a laboratory of good politics, where, without derogating from the secularity of the state, one can draw on the principles of Catholic social doctrine: the pursuit of the common good, the universal destination of goods, the harmony of subsidiarity and solidarity, social justice.

Address to 60,000 youth at Rimini Fiera

After a private lunch with Augustinian cloistered nuns in Pennabilli, the pontiff traveled to the Fiera di Rimini for the annual Meeting per l'amicizia fra i popoli, organized by Comunione e Liberazione. An estimated 60,000 people gathered in the pavilions, where Leo XIV toured a Saint Augustine exhibition alongside Augustinian Prior General Joseph Farrell and Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco of Algiers. The pope also briefly conversed with American saxophonist Louis "Blue Lou" Marini of the Blues Brothers band. Speaking to thousands of young Catholics, the pontiff echoed a message from Saint John Paul II on peace.

If the world of today needs anything, it is communion. Even today we can repeat the same words, and if there is communion in the world, it begins with you young people because you know how to build communion with friendship, you know how to respect one another to build peace.

Meeting with vulnerable groups at Rimini Cathedral

In the late afternoon, Leo XIV visited the Cathedral of Rimini to meet with 500 vulnerable, disabled, and impoverished individuals assisted by local Catholic charities. Among those present was Gianna, a wheelchair user since 1982 who leads a family home for the Pope John XXIII Community. Inmates from the Rimini district prison presented the pontiff with a handcrafted chest containing personal letters and testimonies. The event was attended by Bishop of Rimini Nicolò Anselmi, Liguria Regional President Marco Bucci, and Italian Tourism Minister Giancarlo Mazzi.

Beachfront liturgy and closing appeal

The tour concluded at dusk with an open-air mass at Piazzale Boscovich along the Rimini beachfront, drawing 25,000 attendees. Over 600 volunteers coordinated logistics across the shore, while 354 priests and deacons concelebrated the service wearing stoles hand-printed with motifs from the fifth-century Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna. The diocese presented the pope with a facsimile of the 14th-century Codice Gradenighiano manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy, while the pontiff gifted an official chalice. In his homily, Leo XIV condemned the financial systems funding weapon production and called for policies focused on human dignity.

Before borders, there are always people.