Pope Leo XIV Visits San Marino, Heads to Rimini for Major Catholic Gathering.

Pope Leo XIV Visits San Marino, Heads to Rimini for Major Catholic Gathering.

Pope Leo XIV is undertaking a significant pastoral visit to the Republic of San Marino and the Italian city of Rimini on Saturday, August 22, 2026, combining diplomatic engagements, Catholic worship and a major gathering focused on dialogue and friendship among peoples. The visit marks another important chapter in the pontiff’s pastoral activities in Italy.

The Pope began the day in San Marino, where he was scheduled to meet the country’s Captains Regent and senior government officials at the Palazzo Pubblico. The programme includes a meeting with the Great and General Council, a public greeting and blessing, followed by Eucharistic adoration and veneration of the relics of Saint Marinus at the Basilica of San Marino.

San Marino’s visit carries particular institutional and spiritual significance. Vatican News reported that the Pope accepted an invitation from former Captains Regent Matteo Rossi and Lorenzo Bugli. The visit also comes as San Marino and the Holy See mark the centenary of their diplomatic relations, underscoring the longstanding relationship between the tiny European republic and the Catholic Church.

Following his San Marino engagements, Pope Leo is travelling to Rimini, where he is taking part in the 47th Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, a major international Catholic cultural gathering organized by Communion and Liberation. This year’s meeting, running from August 21 to 26, is themed “The Love which moves the Sun and the other Stars,” a reference to the concluding line of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.

In Rimini, the Pope’s programme includes visits to exhibitions devoted to Saint Augustine and Léon Harmel, a greeting to young people at the event’s Kids’ Village and an address to participants at the Great Auditorium. The gathering has historically provided a forum for discussions involving faith, culture, politics, science and social issues, attracting participants from different countries and backgrounds.

The pontiff is also scheduled to meet sick people, persons with disabilities and people living in poverty who receive assistance from Caritas at Rimini Cathedral. The pastoral emphasis reflects Pope Leo’s broader focus on human dignity, solidarity and attention to people facing vulnerability.

The visit will conclude with an evening Eucharistic concelebration at Rimini’s port at 6:30 p.m., before the Pope departs for the Vatican. The Diocese of Rimini has described the visit as a major pastoral event for the local Catholic community, while city authorities have introduced transport and traffic arrangements around the Pope’s movements.

Pope Leo’s appearance at the Rimini Meeting is also historically notable. According to Vatican News, he is only the second pope to attend the gathering in person, following Saint John Paul II’s visit in 1982. That earlier visit included a meeting with participants and Mass at the port, establishing a lasting connection between the papacy and the Rimini event.

The visit therefore combines several dimensions of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate: engagement with political and civic institutions, Catholic spirituality, dialogue across cultures and a direct encounter with vulnerable communities.