Pope Leo XIV celebrated a Sunday afternoon Mass for the Gendarmerie Corps of the Vatican City State on October 5, hours after he had celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of the Missions and the Jubilee of Migrants.
During the Mass, celebrated at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens, Pope Leo told the police officers that “you have the force of the law, but not to dominate; you have charity towards the little ones, but not to please authority; prudence in action, but not out of fear of your responsibilities.”
“May the Virgin Mary be for you a model of faith and devotion, and Saint Michael, the Archangel who combats evil in God’s name, always protect you and your families,” the Pope concluded. “With a humble and faithful heart, you can be witnesses of peace in this tiny State, which has the world as its horizon.”