After a brief and emotional visit to the Brians 1 penitentiary center, Pope Leo XIV presided this Wednesday the prayer of the Holy Rosary at the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat.
As far as official apostolic journeys are concerned, Pope Leo is the second pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church to officially visit the Abbey of Montserrat, after St. John Paul II's visit in November 1982.
On his arrival at the atrium of the basilica, he was received by the bishop of Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Monsignor Xabier Gómez García, and by the abbot of Montserrat, Father Manel Gasch i Hurios, while the bells of the monastery were tolling. About a thousand children participated in welcoming the Holy Father.
After kissing the cross at the entrance of the church and blessing the faithful with holy water, Leo XIV went to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel for a moment of personal prayer before taking his place in the presbytery. The recitation of the Rosary was preceded by words of welcome from Bishop Gomez Garcia and Abbot Gasch.
Our Lady, capable of bringing about deep conversions
In his speech at the end of the Marian prayer, the Pope expressed his joy at being “at the feet of the Moreneta” to entrust to the Virgin of Montserrat his Petrine ministry and the mission of the Church in a world that, he said, “cries out for justice and peace”.
The Pontiff's reference to the patron saint of Catalonia takes on special significance in a sanctuary that, for centuries, has been one of the main spiritual centers of the region. Montserrat houses the image of the Virgin of Montserrat, popularly known as ‘la Moreneta’ and proclaimed patron saint of the Catalan dioceses by Leo XIII in 1881. The monastery, inhabited today by a community of about fifty Benedictine monks, receives thousands of pilgrims from all over the world every year.
In this context, Leo XIV evoked the spiritual tradition of Montserrat and underlined the role that the sanctuary has played for centuries as a place of devotion, conversion and hope. In this context, he recalled that «Mary, Mother of God, is fundamental in the life of every Christian» and quoted the words pronounced by Pope Francis during his visit to the monastery in 2023, when he affirmed that «before the Mother [...] the noblest feelings of a person are awakened».
The Pontiff also highlighted Our Lady's ability to «awaken in us profound conversions». He recalled the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who, after spending a night in prayer before the Virgin of Montserrat, surrendered his knightly arms, a moment that marked the beginning of a new life in the service of Jesus Christ.
On «hidden violence»
Pope Leo invited the faithful to accept Mary's message at the wedding feast of Cana: “Do whatever he tells you,” stressing that the will of Jesus is summed up in the commandment of mutual love. In this sense, he warned about violence that can be hidden in our words and attitudes: «the criticism that humiliates, the condemnation that destroys and the aggressiveness that divides. This hidden violence can often clothe itself in apparent armor with which we try to protect our wounds, our fears or the suffering caused by injustices».
“Let us lay at her feet today the breastplates that have gradually hardened our hearts,” the Pope urged, pointing to Our Lady of Montserrat as an example of trusting surrender and recalling that Christ saved the world with “the unarmed and disarming power of love.”.
A call to overcome divisions
Leo XIV also emphasized the symbolism of the sphere of the world that the image of the Virgin Mary holds in her hand, interpreting it as a sign of her maternal care for all humanity: «the whole world has a place in her heart,» he affirmed. In this context, he encouraged those present to recognize themselves as brothers and sisters, promoting a communion capable of overcoming any division.
«Let us ask Mary, Queen of Peace, to teach us to renounce hurtful words, immediate judgment, backbiting and slander. And may we learn to guard and cultivate love in the family, among friends, in the workplace, in social networks, in political debates and in Christian communities, so that hatred may give way to hope and peace», thus concluded Pope Leo XIV his speech in Montserrat, followed by some traditional verses dedicated to the patron saint of Catalonia:
Of the Catalans you will always be the Princess,
of the Spaniards and the world all the love;
say to us: “You are my treasure, I am your mother, do not be afraid”.”
After the papal blessing and the singing of the Salve Regina and the traditional Virolai, Leo XIV retired briefly to the chapel of Our Lady before greeting the numerous faithful gathered in the square.
The words of a Pope full of enthusiasm
From the balcony he thanked the faithful for their manifestation of faith: «all united in one family under the Virgin of Montserrat». He also thanked the joy, enthusiasm, and deep sense of faith that we are living these days.
He thanked Catalonia for having received so many people from so many countries «to integrate everyone into a single family» and the community of faith of our brother monks who receive and welcome all the pilgrims who come to pray to Our Lady. He concluded by pronouncing with great enthusiasm: «thank you for those who come to remember that faith gives life; faith gives hope», recalling that the Virgin Mary accompanies us with her maternal expression.
The day continued with a private visit of the Holy Father to the Benedictine community, with whom he shared lunch, and with a meeting with the members of the Escolania de Montserrat, one of the oldest children's choirs in Europe.
Leo XIV's relationship with Montserrat
The Holy Father, Leo XIV, during his time as a missionary in the city of Trujillo (northern Peru) in the 1990s, was one of the promoters of the construction of the church of Our Lady of Montserrat, where he served as administrator and pastor of this parish located in the «Monserrate» urbanization.
As an Augustinian, and having been superior of this great religious order for more than a decade, he shares an affinity with monastic life, the Rule of St. Benedict and community life. In this context, when he was still superior of the Augustinians, it is recorded that he made a spiritual retreat in Montserrat.
Robert Prevost chose the name Leon, a fact that adds a curiosity to his relationship with Montserrat, since the last pontiff who had chosen this name, Leo XIII, was the one who declared the Virgin of Montserrat patron saint of Catalonia.
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