Pope Leo XIV at Termini Station Parish Calls for Mercy and Criticizes Violence

Pope Leo XIV visited the Roman parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located just behind the main Termini railway station, on Sunday, February 22. He began the visit by expressing joy at being in a place where 'everyone is welcome.' During the liturgy, in his homily, he drew attention to the unique character of this area, which he described as a space of deep contrasts. „Qui a Termini tante contraddizioni e violenza dilagante” (Here at Termini, so many contradictions and rampant violence) — Leo XIV. He specifically mentioned the coexistence of prostitution, drug trafficking, and violence with the normal life of thousands of travelers arriving and departing from the station. The Parish of the Sacred Heart at Termini station was entrusted to the Salesian order by Pope Leo XIII, who at the end of the 19th century asked St. John Bosco, the founder of the congregation, to build a church there and carry out work in this difficult urban environment. The Salesians have always specialized in working with youth from poor backgrounds, and their charism perfectly fit the needs of the dynamic and problematic area around the main station. Visiting this place, the pope emphasized the importance of concrete Christian engagement on behalf of excluded persons. 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.' In this context, he mentioned the homeless, migrants, and those forced into prostitution and drug trafficking. He also thanked the hosts of the place – the Salesians – for their ministry around the world. „Continuate un servizio così importante in molte parti del mondo, anche dove c'è guerra, dove c'è conflitto, dove c'è povertà – dove Gesù vuole essere presente” (Continue such an important service in many parts of the world, even where there is war, where there is conflict, where there is poverty – where Jesus wants to be present) — Leo XIV. He also recalled that as a boy, discerning his vocation, he visited a Salesian community. The visit also had a pastoral dimension related to the Lenten period. The pope called on the faithful to rediscover the 'liberating power of the sacrament of Baptism.' This event should be read in the broader context of Leo XIV's engagement with the Roman diocese. The day before the parish visit, during a meeting with priests of the diocese, the pope expressed his clear stance on the challenges of contemporary evangelization. He then warned clergy against excessive reliance on new technologies, stating that artificial intelligence is incapable of transmitting faith. This statement is part of a broader reflection on the place of the Church in the postmodern world, where traditional pastoral methods require renewal but cannot be replaced by tools lacking a human, personal dimension.