Leone XIV International Study Center
Research, culture, and dialogue inspired by Pope Leo XIV
The International Study Centre Pope Leo XIV welcomes with joy the appointment of H.E. Mons. Luis Marín de San Martín, O.S.A., member of the Scientific Committee, as Papal Almoner and Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.
Second appointment in the lecture series on Saint Augustine promoted by the Pope Leo XIV International Study Center. On Thursday, 26 February 2026, in the Chapter Hall of the Convent of Santo Spirito in Florence, Augustine and Peace, a lecture by Giuseppe Caruso, OSA, Prior of the Convent of Saint Augustine in Palermo.
A delegation of the Leone XIV Study Center met Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the Vatican, sharing the Center’s Statute, founding values, and planned activities.
With its first General Assembly, held on January 22 in Florence at the Convent of Santo Spirito, the Leone XIV International Study Center officially enters its operational phase, renewing its governing bodies and launching the work of its Scientific Committee and thematic committees.
Pope Leo XIV powerfully recalls peace as a concrete and daily choice, not as an abstract idea. Through the Message for the World Day of Peace and the Address to the Italian Municipalities, a disarmed and disarming vision of human coexistence emerges, grounded in responsibility, attentive listening, and the dignity of every person. The International Study Centre Leo XIV re-launches these texts as an invitation to shared reflection.
With its establishment as a Third Sector Entity (Ente del Terzo Settore – ETS), the Leo XIV International Study Centre enters its operational phase, consolidating a path of research, formation and dialogue already initiated in previous months, in continuity with the Augustinian tradition and the Social Doctrine of the Church.
The conference “Disarming Peace: Historical Reflections for Peace in Europe”, scheduled for December 6, 2025, at the Basilica of the SS. Annunziata in Florence, stems from Pope Leo XIV’s call to “disarm words” and promote a form of communication that builds peace. The initiative, organized by the Rosario Livatino Study Center and the University of Florence with the participation of the Leo XIV Study Center, offers an ethical, legal, and historical exploration inspired by La Pira’s thought and by Article 11 of the Italian Constitution, inviting reflection on language and international relations in a Europe marked by conflict.
On Thursday, 21 November 2025, the Sacristy of the Basilica of Santo Spirito will host the presentation of the book “Leone XIV. Who Do You Say I Am? I Am a Son of Augustine” by Ignazio Ingrao and Father Giuseppe Pagano. A unique opportunity to explore the human and spiritual portrait of the Pope through the direct testimony of its authors.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 5:30 p.m. – Chapter Hall of the Convent of Santo Spirito, Florence.
With the conference “The Everyday Reveals. Saint Augustine and the Miracles” by Giovanni Cesare Pagazzi begins the series of meetings promoted by the International Study Center Pope Leo XIV, dedicated to the contemporary relevance of Augustinian thought.
The first series of lectures by the Pope Leo XIV International Study Center, dedicated to the figure and thought of Saint Augustine, begins at the Convent of Santo Spirito in Florence. Three events, from November 2025 to May 2026, will feature leading scholars and theologians reflecting on faith, peace, and civic responsibility in the light of Augustinian spirituality.
