Pope Leo XIV Calls for Rediscovering Baptism's Power and Helping the Excluded During Visit to Roman Parish

Pope Leo XIV continues his engagement in local pastoral ministry by visiting his second Roman parish – the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located near the city's main railway station, Termini. During the visit, he focused his message on the significance of the Lenten period as a time of renewal. He called on the faithful to rediscover the "liberating power of the sacrament of Baptism." The Pope emphasized that authentic Christian life, flowing from this sacrament, must express itself in a concrete attitude of mercy. He appealed that "through the free choice of love for one's neighbor, we continue to undertake the effort of working for people pushed to the margins," listing among them the homeless, migrants, and those forced into prostitution and drug trafficking. The ministry of popes in Roman parishes has a long tradition, dating back to modern times. The practice of regular pastoral visits by the Bishop of Rome to the parishes under his care aims for direct contact with the life of local communities. In contemporary times, since the pontificate of St. John Paul II, it has become a permanent element of the ministry of successive popes, symbolizing their dual role as bishop of the diocese and shepherd of the universal Church. The parish visit followed a series of meetings with the clergy of the Roman diocese, during which Leo XIV clearly defined his position towards the challenges of contemporary evangelization. During a meeting in the Paul VI Hall with several hundred priests, responding to a question about methods of bringing faith to a world marked by postmodernism, the pope issued a clear warning concerning new technologies.