Pope makes surprise outing to visit shrine dedicated to Saint Augustine

ROME – In his first outing as pope, Leo XIV made an unannounced visit to a shrine dedicated to Saint Augustine in a small town outside of Rome, where he prayed before a famed icon housed there and met with members of the Augustinian order.

In a May 10 statement, the Vatican said that shortly after 4p.m. that day, “Pope Leo XIV visited the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano for a private visit.”

The shrine, run by the religious order of Saint Augustine...