Pope Leo XIV lauds San Marino as a blueprint for freedom and common good

While touring the world’s oldest surviving republic, Pope Leo XIV commended San Marino’s unique political heritage, emphasizing its 60-member legislature and the biannual election of two captains regent as a means to prevent power hoarding. He credited Saints Marino and Leone with translating Christian teachings into a civic model built on liberty, mutual respect and communal bonds, a legacy he said still shapes the nation.

The pope warned that contemporary political and economic frameworks often elevate power above the human person, threatening social cohesion. He urged Christians to counter rising violence and division through forgiveness, solidarity and care for the vulnerable. Describing the enclave as a “laboratory of good politics,” he reiterated the Vatican’s commitment to defending human dignity from conception to natural death, a phrase linked to its opposition to abortion and euthanasia. The visit marked the third papal trip to San Marino, following those by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.