“A man of gentle character, guided by the love of Christ.” The emotional atmosphere surrounding Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the Basilica is recalled by the Benedictine abbot of St Paul’s Outside the Walls, Fr. Donato Ogliari. Just a few days after his election, the new Pope chose to visit one of Christianity’s most significant sites, touching the hearts of the monastic community.
Abbot Ogliari, a few days after his election, Pope Leo XIV decided to visit St. Paul Outside the Walls. How did your community respond to this gesture?
We welcomed him with feelings of filial devotion. To us, he is the father of the Church. On a personal note, his visit touched me deeply: I had met Cardinal Prevost during his service as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, but seeing him now as the new Pope had a completely different impact on me. Our monastic community experienced this moment with profound emotional intensity.
The monks, employees and congregation filled the church. The new Pope struck everyone as a very gentle man devoted to serving the Church, inspired, as he said himself, by the love of Christ, who is at the heart of all things.
The new Pope immediately placed Christ at the centre of his papacy. How did you receive his call for a deeply Christ-centered faith?
His words brought us great joy. St Benedict taught us that Christ is central to monastic life. Without this rootedness, nothing else has meaning. We may be actively involved in social or charitable activities, but if there is no personal encounter with the Lord, everything will be ineffective. The love of Christ must animate all our thoughts and actions.
“God loves us,” said the Pope, quoting Benedict XVI. How does this message resonate in today’s world, a world scarred by loneliness, conflict and fragility?
It is a message that offers great consolation. In these times of widespread disorientation, it is not only violence and war that are to blame, but also a deeply fragile culture that makes people feel adrift.
Many people struggle to find points of reference. Being reminded that we are all part of God’s plan of love is a beacon of light and hope.
It’s like a ray of light shining through the moral and spiritual darkness that engulfs so many.
During the Jubilee Year, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls welcomes thousands of pilgrims. How is your community experiencing this mission?
Our contribution is twofold. Firstly, we provide large-scale hospitality: groups of up to 4,000–5,000 people attend daily liturgical celebrations. At the same time, we offer a personal welcome, expressed primarily through the sacrament of reconciliation. The monks are available for confessions, which often take on a deeply personal dimension. People come not only to confess their sins, but also to seek encouragement, meaning and consolation.
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- (Foto Vatican Media/SIR)
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Although located in the heart of Rome, your abbey has retained its character as a “spiritual oasis”. How is this made possible?
Although St. Paul’s is situated some distance from the Vatican, its location is very much in the heart of the city. The neighbourhood is very densely populated and lively, partly thanks to the presence of Roma Tre University.
Our goal is to serve as a beacon of reference, a source of communion and fraternity.
This is achieved first and foremost though our witness to the beauty of community life, our pursuit of unity in Christ, and our respect for diversity.
Yesterday, three pivotal figures — Paul, Augustine and Benedict — were symbolically brought together. What does this convergence of charisms mean to you?
It is a beautiful image that highlights the richness of the Church. Three figures with different charisms are united by the same root that is Christ. Paul is the apostle of the early Church, a man of mission. Augustine is the ‘doctor caritatis’ renowned for his profound understanding of both divine and human love. Benedict brings all of this together, expressing it through monastic life, the search for God, and fraternal charity. The new Pope, a man of religious life, gave voice to this synthesis. It is an eloquent sign of communion in diversity: a Church journeying together and united in the plurality of its charisms.
🕍 THE BASILICA
Saint Paul Outside the Walls: unique testimony of apostolic legacy
Founded in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine on the site traditionally recognised as the burial place of St Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, the Basilica is one of the four papal basilicas in Rome. A fire destroyed it in 1823, but it was reconstructed identically to what it had been before and was consecrated by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Entrusted to the care of the Benedictine community, the Basilica honours the memory of Saint Paul and welcomes thousands of pilgrims each year. The cloister, the apse mosaics and the tomb of the Apostle all contribute to its status as a site of prayer and contemplation for people from all over the world.
