Pope Honors Saints
U.S.-Born Pope Leo XIV Visits Italy, Honors St. Augustine and Migrant Saint
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Pope Leo XIV traveled to northern Italy on Saturday to honor two saints who define his papacy: St. Augustine, the founder of his religious order, and Mother Frances Cabrini, the patron saint of migrants. The visit marks the midpoint of his summer 2026 grand tour of Italy, WRAL reported.
The trip carries clear political weight. Leo — the first U.S.-born pope — has clashed openly with the Trump administration over mass deportations. Honoring Cabrini, who served Italian immigrants in Chicago, sends an unmistakable message about where he stands.
Leo Prays at St. Augustine's Tomb in Pavia
Leo's first stop was Pavia, a city in Lombardy, where he visited the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro to pray at the tomb of St. Augustine. Augustine, who died in 430 AD, is the founding figure of the Order of St. Augustine — Leo's own religious order, according to Newsday.
Leo has called himself a "son of St. Augustine" since his election night in May 2025. His theology draws heavily on Augustine's idea of the tension between the "City of God" and the "City of Man." He used that framework to visit Annaba, Algeria — where Augustine died — during an 11-day Africa tour in April 2026, according to Chron.
A Visit to Cabrini's Birthplace Echoes the Migration Fight
In the afternoon, Leo traveled to Sant'Angelo Lodigiano — Cabrini's birthplace — to venerate a relic of the saint. Cabrini crossed the Atlantic 28 times in 30 years and built 67 institutions, including hospitals and schools, before her death in 1917. Pope Pius XII made her a saint in 1946, according to Beaumont Enterprise.
Father John Lydon, director of the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration at Villanova University, said "Leo has a devotion to the cause of Mother Cabrini... she represents the Church's embrace of immigrants." Cabrini's work centered on Italian immigrants in Chicago — the Pope's own hometown — making the visit deeply personal, according to Dayton Daily News.
Pope and Trump Are Locked in a Public Battle Over Immigration
The tension between Leo and President Trump is real and raw. In April 2026, Trump posted on Truth Social calling Leo XIV "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," accusing him of "catering to the Radical Left," according to The Messenger.
A June 2026 Pew Research poll showed Leo's favorability among Republican Catholics dropped to 72%, down from 84% in August 2025. Among Democratic Catholics, it fell slightly to 84%. The Vatican has largely ignored Trump's attacks, choosing instead to focus on what it calls humanitarian flashpoints.
A July 4 Lampedusa Visit Looms as the Tour's Boldest Stop
Leo's Italian tour is not over. On July 4 — the U.S. 250th anniversary — he plans to visit Lampedusa, the small Italian island that has become the main entry point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, according to Journal-News.
Analysts see the timing as deliberate. By choosing America's Independence Day for a visit to Europe's migration frontline, Leo is drawing a direct contrast with Trump's "America First" immigration crackdown. The Vatican has shifted its 2026 travel budget toward these short pastoral day trips rather than expensive overseas state visits.
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