Spirituality

Pope Leo XIV visits St. Luigi Orione's heart at an Argentine care center

Pope Leo XIV prayed before the preserved heart of St. Luigi Orione during a visit to a care center in Claypole, Argentina, Euronews reports. The pope also met residents and staff at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, which cares for people with disabilities.

The heart is kept in the center's chapel as a relic, a physical remain preserved for religious veneration. Exaudi reports that Leo prayed there for peace and for the strengthening of a "civilization of love."

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Leo praises the center's care#

Leo greeted people gathered near the entrance after waving to crowds from the popemobile, according to Euronews. He toured part of the 50-hectare site and unveiled a commemorative plaque. The center houses more than 400 people with disabilities, the outlet reports.

Vatican News reports that Leo thanked those who work at the center and spoke about the dignity and belonging found there. He said a nation's progress could be measured in part by how it welcomes people with disabilities and particular needs.

According to OSV News, the visit took place as disability policy and government spending were subjects of a nationwide dispute. Euronews reports that the choice of the center drew attention to care services while disability funding was politically contested.

Orione's work reached Latin America#

Orione, an Italian priest born in 1872, was ordained in 1895 and founded boarding schools in Italy, according to Aleteia. After World War I, he made missionary trips to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, where he established homes for people who had been abandoned.

OSV News reports that Cottolengo takes its name from St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, an Italian priest who in 1832 opened a Turin home for those experiencing illness, poverty or disabilities. Orione adopted the name for homes established by his congregation, the Little Work of Divine Providence.

Orione laid the Claypole home's cornerstone in 1935, according to OSV News. Leo's stop was part of a 12-day tour that began in Uruguay and ends in Peru, The Rio Times reports.

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