Pope Leo XIV Visits the Poor Clares Community of the Monastery in Albano

A Valuable Witness

On the morning of Tuesday, July 15, Pope Leo XIV visited the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of the Poor Clares in the little town of Albano, located within the territory of the Papal Villas.

The Pope was welcomed at the entrance of the convent and paused in the chapel for a prayer with the nuns. Then, in the Chapter Hall, he engaged in conversation with the Poor Clares, greeting each one and offering them a few words: “It is good that the Church know of your life,” he said, “because it is a valuable witness.”

At the end of the visit, before the recitation of the “Our Father,” the Pontiff presented the community with a chalice and a paten for Mass. The nuns, in turn, gifted the Pope with an icon of the Face of Jesus.

Earlier that day, Pope Leo XIV had celebrated Mass at the Chapel of the Carabinieri Station in Castel Gandolfo.

The Poor Clares of Albano have traditionally maintained a close relationship with the Popes, who have visited the monastery on numerous occasions. Notably, Pope Paul VI visited on September 3, 1971; Pope John Paul II on August 14, 1979, July 24 and August 2, 1985, and again on September 19, 2004; Pope Benedict XVI on September 15, 2007; and Pope Francis twice—on July 14 and August 15, 2013.

This year as well, the Poor Clares of Albano have donated handmade wooden items for the “Saint Francis and Saint Clare” daycare school in the Vatican.