Pope Leo on Saturday honored the first American saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, as a model for Christians today to serve immigrants in need, when he visited her birthplace during a day trip to northern Italy.
Leo, who has clashed with the Trump administration regarding his repression of immigrants, asked young people in particular to learn about the life and ministry of Cabrini, once again confirming the first pope in American history to be the successor of Pope Francis in prioritizing the plight of immigrants.
Today he prayed before Cabrini’s tomb in the church named for him at his birthplace in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, near Milan, and led the evening prayer service. A tour of the north Italy It’s part of Leo’s summer tour of Italy to visit key cities to get to know his group.
Cabrini, the patron saint of immigrants, is well known to many Americans for his work in caring for Italian immigrants in the United States at the beginning of the last century. His work went beyond United Stateshowever, as he traveled around the world building schools, hospitals and orphanages for those who had nothing.
After his death in 1917, as a natural-born American citizen in present-day Chicago, Cabrini was beatified and canonized in 1946 as America’s first saint.
Leo asks what Francis would do
In praising Cabrini on Saturday, Leo said he was inspired by his faith to help those immigrants who had left everything behind to try to find a better life.
