Pope Leone XIV visits Lombardy as Bishop Renzo Pegoraro is ordained in Padua

On 20 June 2026 Pope Leone XIV made his first visit to Lombardy, meeting clergy in the cloister of the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro in Pavia. He addressed the gathering, emphasizing charity, love, reconciliation and the need for a living church amid secular challenges.

A day later, on 21 June 2026, Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, was consecrated as a bishop at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria Madre della Provvidenza in Rubano, near Padua. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin and attended by numerous Italian bishops and local officials.

Both events highlight the Catholic Church’s activity in Italy, with the Pope’s regional outreach and the ordination of a senior bio‑ethics scholar to the episcopate.