Pope Leo XIV visits San Marino on 22 August 2025: institutional meeting, blessing in the square and homage to the Holy Founder
And so, Leo XIV intends to add another stage to his pastoral visits. This time it is a destination very close to the Holy See and unique in its kind: on 22 August, the Pope will set foot on the territory of the Republic of San Marino. Mount Titano is preparing to welcome the Pontiff for an extremely particular pastoral visit that intertwines history, diplomacy and faith.
The announcement came from the Prefecture of the Papal Household and the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. Leone accepted the invitation of the Captains Regent: he will meet the institutions and the people of San Marino in a summer day full of meaningsboth for the Vatican and for the tiny Republic.
The program of Leo XIV’s visit
The Holy Father will land in the morning at the Torraccia airfield. From there, accompanied by a Vatican delegation, he will reach Piazza della Libertà through a route designed to allow him to greet the population along the way.
In the square, the institutional part will begin: military honors, playing of the national anthems, official meetings at the Palazzo Pubblico with the highest authorities of the State. In the late morning, however, the Pope will look out from the balcony to impart his blessing to the gathered crowd.
After the institutional meetings, Leo XIV will move to the Basilica of Santo Marino for a personal reflection and homage to the relics of the founder of the Republic. He will also meet the clergy of the Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro. Finally, in the afternoon, he will continue towards Rimini, where he will participate in the Meeting, as already announced in recent days.
A very special centenary
The visit falls at a time full of great symbolic value. Specifically, this year marks the centenary of diplomatic relations between San Marino and the Holy See, a detail underlined by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Luca Beccariwho spoke of an «extraordinary event of the highest institutional, diplomatic and spiritual importance».
From the ecclesial side, Bishop Monsignor Domenico Beneventi did not hide his emotion, defining the visit as “an immense gift, a caress of Providence that arrives at a historical moment in which we all feel the need to find strong reasons to hope and walk together”. Fifteen years have passed since the last visit of a Pope to San Marino. There was still Joseph Ratzinger, in the final stages of his enlightened teaching steeped in conservatism. Bergoglio had never been to the Republic. Leo XIV, on the contrary, decided to re-establish relations on such a special occasion. San Marino awaits him with open arms.
