In San Marino, Pope Leo XIV tells young people: 'We only find authentic freedom in Jesus Christ'

In the small landlocked country of San Marino on Aug. 22, Pope Leo XIV called on young people to open "the door of their heart" to God, assuring them that the faithful “only find authentic freedom in Jesus Christ."

After his arrival in San Marino , one of the smallest and oldest republics in the world, and following a meeting with the country’s captains regent, the pope went to the Basilica of San Marino. There, together with priests and the faithful, he worshiped the Blessed Sacrament and venerated the relics of Saint Marinus.

Pope Leo XIV speaks to pilgrims at the Basilica di San Marino, Aug. 22, 2026. | Credit: Vatican Media

“Iʼm glad to meet you in this basilica,” the pope said in a speech after the moment of prayer. “I would like us to live this moment together as a pause in our common path in the footsteps of Christ.”

Addressing especially young people, the Holy Father recalled the words spoken by his predecessor Benedict XVI when visiting San Marino in 2011: “Do not stay in the partial, immediate answers [...], easier at first and more comfortable, which can give some moments of happiness, of exaltation, of drunkenness, but that do not lead you to the true joy…