Address of the Holy Father

Impromptu Words of Greeting of the Holy Father before leaving Sant’Angelo Lodigiano

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Address of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am happy to greet all of you, fellow citizens and compatriots of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini! I thank the Bishop, Mons. Maurizio Malvestiti, and the Parish Priest, the Mayor, and the other civil authorities.

I am here to pay homage to Mother Cabrini, Patroness of migrants, the first Saint of the United States of America, who was born here in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano in 1850, and died in Chicago, my native city, in 1917. When I learned that Sant’Angelo Lodigiano is only a few kilometers from Pavia, I immediately thought of taking the opportunity... And here I am. Thank you, thank you for your warm welcome! In this way you show me the love of the Church of Lodi for the Pope, a love that Mother Cabrini nourished with particular devotion and obedience.

Indeed, when the decisive moment came to choose the direction to give in choosing the mission of her religious institute, she wanted the Pope to indicate it. And Leo XIII was clear, saying that she would be sent: “Not to the East, but to the West,” to serve the thousands of Italian emigrants in America, as the Bishop of Piacenza, Saint Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, had already suggested to her.

Through the voices of these two enlightened Pastors, Mother Cabrini interpreted the signs of the times and understood that the dream of going to China, emulating Saint Francis Xavier, had to be realized where, at that moment, the need was greatest.

But, dear sisters and brothers, if we look at today’s world, what must we say? That “sign,” namely the phenomenon of migration, has entered a different phase, certainly more complex, yet no less capable of challenging the Church.

Let us ask ourselves: if Mother Frances were alive today, what would her missionary soul say to her? Or rather, what would the Heart of Christ say to the heart of a woman consecrated to Him and to the service of His Kingdom? And what would a Pope like Francis have asked of her, he who made service to migrants one of the key points of his pontificate, as the son of Italian emigrants,?

Dear friends, Pope Francis wanted his fourth Encyclical, Dilexit nos, which later proved to be his last, to be dedicated to the “human and divine love of the Heart of Christ,” that is, to that mystery of infinite charity which is the only true “engine” of the life of Saint Cabrini, of everything she accomplished and, even more, of the how she did it. In this Encyclical, Pope Francis writes: “The enduring relevance of devotion to the heart of Christ is especially evident in the work of evangelization and education carried out by the numerous male and female religious congregations whose origins were marked by this profoundly Christological devotion.” (n. 150).

For my part, I have inherited and carried forward the Magisterium of Pope Francis with the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te on love for the poor. Where the encyclical mentions charity in the form of “accompanying migrants,” the figure of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini appears, right alongside Saint Giovanni Battista Scalabrini. “Her motherly heart, which allowed her no rest, reached out to them [migrants] everywhere: in hovels, prisons and mines.” (n. 74). She herself wrote: “No work will be too difficult, no land too distant, no person too wounded for the love of the heart of Jesus and for all those invited to be bearers of the love of Christ in the world.”

Brothers and sisters, what could be more relevant for our times than this charism? I say this here, before the relic of Mother Cabrini’s heart, brought from the Mother House in Codogno. I say this while greeting and affectionately thanking her spiritual daughters, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. What could be more relevant than a missionary charism placed at the service of migrants?

I take this opportunity, therefore, to make an appeal, especially to young people: get to know Saint Frances Cabrini! Read her writings, full of passion for Jesus and for the mission; her letters, her travel diaries, the notes from her retreats. Whoever comes to know Mother Cabrini is won over by her. Her soul was at once contemplative and active. She was immersed in the love of the Heart of Christ, and this gave her an extraordinary capacity for work and strength of spirit, in keeping with the Pauline motto she chose for the Institute: “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” (Phil 4:13).

I address this appeal in a special way to the Church in Lodi, which has welcomed me with such affection today! And I would like to express it in the form of a wish: may the Church of Saint Bassiano always be recognised by those traits that shine forth in this glorious daughter of hers. Through her example and intercession, may Saint Cabrini help you to be in love with Christ, to be witnesses of His Gospel with an industrious and generous style, at the service of the poorest. May she help you to live an effective synodality, walking together and striving together for holiness, in the variety of gifts and ministries. I assure you of my prayer for this intention.

Finally, I pray to the Lord for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in every one of their communities: may God bless them and renew them in fidelity to Mother Cabrini’s charism. And may the whole Church look to this splendid missionary of Love, in order to learn what it means to serve the Kingdom of God in the midst of history.

To all of you and to your loved ones I impart from my heart the Apostolic Blessing. Thank you!

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Impromptu Words of Greeting of the Holy Father before leaving Sant’Angelo Lodigiano

Good evening, young people,

Today you have all received a great gift: patience and the ability to wait. Waiting is a sign of hope. Thank you for being witnesses of hope! Never forget: you young people can change the world, and we are waiting for each one of you. May the Lord bless you today and always!

Thank you for being here, thank you for this joy, for this welcome. Welcome everyone into your hearts and through your works of charity. May the Lord be with you.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thank you, thank you all! Goodbye!

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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 20 June 2026