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Published in the Bulletin of the Holy See Press Office, on Tuesday, 3 February, Pope Leo XIV appointed Sr. Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E.—President of the Pontifical Commission for the Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City—as a member of the Commission for Confidential Matters.
On Friday, September 5, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo. Present at the inauguration were Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate, along with the two Secretaries General, Archbishop Emilio Nappa and Atty. Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi.
In a chirograph dated February 2, 2023, Pope Francis outlined the reasons that inspired the establishment of the Borgo Laudato Si’. In particular, he wrote that it was his intention to create “a tangible model of thought, structure and action,” to be called Borgo Laudato Si’. “A forum for dialogue and an example of change, this initiative will be located within the endowments, appurtenances and dependencies of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo (cf. Lateran Treaty, Annex II, 5), without in any way altering or modifying the overall nature of this property of the Holy See, as established by Article 14 of the Lateran Treaty (Annex II, 4) and defined by customs and various provisions of my Venerable Predecessors.”
The Pontiff went on to explain that “in order to animate the life and works of the Borgo Laudato Si’,” he was establishing the Centro di Alta Formazione Laudato Si’ (Laudato Si’ Center for Advanced Training) as “a scientific, educational and social organization, working for integral formation, with its registered office in Vatican City State and its main operational headquarters in the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo.”
He further decreed that the Centro di Alta Formazione Laudato Si’, under the jurisdiction of the Governorate of Vatican City State, would be governed by its “own Statutes,” which he simultaneously approved.
On Friday morning, 14 November, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the San Martino Clinic, located beneath the Colonnade of St. Peter’s. This new facility expands the adjacent clinic dedicated to the Mother of Mercy, which has already been active for ten years.
"The more joy you share, the more joy you create, and in this way, through your pursuit of knowledge, each of you can contribute to building a more peaceful and just world."
Jim and Lia Farley donated a 2026 Ford Explorer Platinum AWD hybrid car to Pope Leo XIV. The Explorer is produced at Chicago Assembly Plant – the historic factory, opened in 1924 by Henry Ford, in the city where the Pope was born.
The idea to create two compact electric vehicles, designed to be easily transported by air on long-haul flights and to meet the highest safety standards, was born from a valuable and close collaboration with the Gendarmerie Corps of the Vatican City State, which oversaw and supported each phase of the project.
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.
In the heart of Albano, within the historic and faith-filled walls of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Rotonda, a day rich in spirituality, sharing, and closeness to the most vulnerable unfolded. On Sunday morning, August 17, Pope Leo XIV celebrated the Eucharist together with people assisted by the local Caritas and its volunteers, transforming the city’s historic center into a lively place of encounter and fraternity.
The floral emblem of Pope Leo XIV has been completed in the Vatican Gardens, located on the upward slope from the apse of St. Peter's Basilica, right in front of the Governorate building.
Hundreds of colored plants, like so many mosaic pieces, have made a beautiful work of floral art possible. Like the previous emblems, it will be admired every year by thousands of people from an exceptional observation point: the top of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
It was indeed a historic moment, for the first time ever the musical bands of the Corps of the Gendarmerie and the Pontifical Swiss Guard performed together. The concert, held in the presence of Pope Leo XIV, took place on the evening of Monday, September 29, in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, on the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, Patron of Vatican City State.
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