Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for “merciful compassion” toward the world’s poor and victims of tyranny and war as he celebrated Mass at St. Thomas of Villanova church in Castel Gandolfo, which holds special spiritual significance for his Augustinian religious order.

While on summer vacation at the papal estate south of Rome, Leo resumed the tradition of papal visits to Castel Gandolfo and marked the occasion with a Mass at the local parish.

St. Thomas of Villanova, a 16th-century Spanish Augustinian friar, educator, and regional superior of the order, is also the patron saint of Villanova University near Philadelphia—Leo’s alma mater. Known for his commitment to the poor, Thomas gave away his wealth to those in need.

In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the parable of the Good Samaritan, urging Catholics to embrace empathy and to act “with the same merciful compassion as God.”

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“How we look at others is what counts, because it shows what is in our hearts,” he said. “We can look and walk by, or we can look and be moved with compassion.”

He emphasized this in the context of those “stripped, robbed and pillaged, victims of tyrannical political systems, of an economy that forces them into poverty, and of wars that kill their dreams and their very lives.”

From the beginning of his papacy, Leo has identified strongly as an Augustinian and regularly incorporates the teachings of St. Augustine into his addresses.

Rev. Tadeusz Rozmus, the parish priest, said Leo’s return “filled the town with joy,” and highlighted the pope’s spiritual connection to St. Thomas of Villanova.