Top photo caption: Pope Leo XIV lights a candle as he visits the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino in the town of Cassino, Italy, July 20, 2026. OSV News photo/Simone Risoluti, Vatican Media
By Courtney Mares, OSV News
ROME OSV News – Pope Leo XIV made a surprise visit to the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino July 20, where he prayed for peace at the tomb of St. Benedict.
Abbot Dom Luca Fallica said the visit was completely unexpected, with the community only informed that the Pope was coming on the morning of his arrival at the abbey at 11 a.m. Monks were asked to keep the news confidential until after the Pope departed.
Inside the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption and St. Benedict the Abbot at Montecassino, Pope Leo had the chance to pray at the tomb of St. Benedict of Nursia, the patron saint of Europe who is considered the father of Western monasticism, and his sister, St. Scholastica.
According to the Holy See Press Office, the Pope “paused to pray at the tomb of St. Benedict, entrusting to him his plea for peace in those regions of the world marked by bloodshed and conflict.”
Pope Leo also prayed the midday prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours together with the Benedictine community before sharing lunch with the monks.
During the nearly four-hour visit, the Pope toured the abbey’s archive, library and museum, pausing at the section of the museum dedicated to the monastery’s destruction by American-led Allied bombing during World War II.
Pilgrims who happened to be visiting Montecassino on the hot mid-July day received an unexpected papal blessing and greeting from the Holy Father before he departed about 2:45 p.m.
Located on a hill about halfway between Rome and Naples, roughly a two-hour drive southeast of the capital, the Abbey of Montecassino was the first monastery of the Benedictine order, founded by St. Benedict himself in A.D. 529. The Church recently celebrated St. Benedict’s feast day July 11.
Benedict remained at Montecassino until his death around 547. The monastery was sacked by the Lombards in 580 and reestablished in 718 before being sacked again by Saracen forces in 884 and later rebuilt.
The abbey was almost completely destroyed in 1944 during the Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, when Allied forces mistakenly believed it was occupied by German troops.
Rebuilt after World War II with funding from the Italian government, the abbey was rededicated by Pope Paul VI in 1964. Today a small Benedictine community remains at the abbey, which welcomes pilgrims and visitors from around the world.
Nearby lies the Cassino War Cemetery, where more than 4,000 Commonwealth servicemen whose graves are unknown are commemorated on the Cassino Memorial, while 289 of those buried there remain unidentified.
Close to the abbey is also the Polish War Cemetery, the final resting place of 1,072 Polish soldiers who died capturing Montecassino in May 1944. Christian crosses and Stars of David on the headstones reflect the religious diversity of those who gave their lives during the campaign.
Earlier this month, the Abbey of Montecassino hosted the 2026 Pacis Nuntius Award ceremony, presented to Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, on the eve of the feast of St. Benedict.
While it was his first visit to Montecassino since becoming Pope, it was not Pope Leo XIV’s first papal visit to a Benedictine community. In November, he celebrated Mass with Benedictines in Rome at the Church of St. Anselm on the Aventine Hill, marking the 125th anniversary of its dedication and encouraging the Benedictines in their mission.
The Pope also entrusted his ministry to Our Lady of Montserrat last month at the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain.
Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney. Vatican News contributed to this report.
Catholic journalism is needed now more than ever. Please consider supporting this work by signing up for a SUBSCRIPTION (click HERE) or making a DONATION to The Monitor (click HERE). Thank you for your contribution.