World News
Pope Leo praises San Marino as political model and urges global dialogue
During visits to San Marino and Rimini, the pontiff condemned militarization and called for social cohesion and the protection of human dignity.
The short version
- Pope Leo XIV visited the microstate of San Marino and attended the Rimini Meeting in Italy on Saturday.
- He commended San Marino's historical power-sharing system as an example of civic responsibility, while urging Catholics to reject militarization and embrace dialogue.
- The pontiff advocated upholding human dignity from conception to natural death, though he did not directly mention San Marino's 2021 referendum legalizing abortion.
Key facts
- Pope Leo XIV visited San Marino, becoming the third pope to do so after John Paul II in 1982 and Benedict XVI in 2011.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- The pope lauded San Marino's governance model, which relies on a 60-member parliament and two captains regent rotating every six months, as a laboratory of good politics.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- Speaking to tens of thousands at the Rimini Meeting organized by Communion and Liberation, Leo urged believers to confront social division, militarization, and economic injustice.[Associated Press]
- The pontiff reiterated Catholic teaching calling for the protection of human dignity from conception to natural death, without explicitly referencing San Marino's 2021 vote legalizing first-trimester abortion.[Associated Press · ABC News]
Sources
- Pope Leo calls for dialogue over conflict, says young Catholics are a sign of hopeAssociated Press
- Pope Leo praises San Marino as model of freedom and common goodABC News - International