Over 600 volunteers mobilized, 25,000 seats on the beach and the last passes still available. Rimini is entering the final decisive hours before the visit of Pope Leo XIV, expected tomorrow, Saturday 22 August. After his stop at the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples and the other events planned during the day, at 6.30pm the Pontiff will preside over Mass at Piazzale Boscovich, the closing moment of his encounter with the Church of Rimini.
The organizational machine is now ready. A significant part of the effort will be entrusted to volunteers, who have come not only from the parishes and ecclesial communities of the Diocese, but also from other areas of Emilia-Romagna and Italy. There are even tourists who, during their stay on the Riviera, decided to make themselves available. Welcoming pilgrims, providing assistance, checking passes, giving directions and supporting the most vulnerable are among the tasks volunteers will carry out throughout the day.
“What we are experiencing is much more than a major event to organize: it is an experience of Church. In recent months we have seen so many people offer their time, energy, skills and, above all, their desire to serve,” said the Bishop of Rimini, Monsignor Nicolò Anselmi. “On Saturday, the volunteers will be the first faces many people encounter: through their smiles, their availability and their attentiveness, our entire community will welcome the Pope.”
Coordinating this team is Paolo Amadori, who has spent weeks assigning the various services. “We are all indispensable, but at the same time we are all called to serve — for the Church, for the Pope and for the people we will meet.” The volunteer coordinator places particular emphasis on hospitality: “Our task,” says the 69-year-old deacon in charge of the volunteers, “is not only to make a complex operation run smoothly, but to ensure that every pilgrim feels welcomed. A smile, a kind word, an outstretched hand can become the first proclamation of the Gospel.”
Among those who answered the call is Anna Sartini, the first person to sign up, on 21 April. “When there’s a need, my answer is always the same: yes.” Her commitment to volunteering grew over the years within the parish of San Giuliano Borgo and through the Missionary Work Camp. “I believe it’s important to give back at least part of what I’ve received in life. And then… there’s the Pope.”
Coming from outside the diocese will be Federica, 37, from the parish of Terra del Sole, in the Castrocaro area. A religion teacher, she has already served in pilgrim welcome during the Jubilee in Rome. “I thought I could lend a hand. I expect to have an experience of service, meeting people, praying together and sharing an important day.”
The visit will also be marked by a series of gifts that reflect Rimini and its territory. Among those prepared by the Diocese is an anastatic copy of the Codice Gradenighiano, the manuscript held at the Gambalunga Library and considered one of the most important illuminated fourteenth-century copies of the Divine Comedy. Created between 1392 and 1394, it comprises 120 folios adorned with 24 miniatures, including a depiction of Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini before Dante and Virgil.
A tribute to Romagna’s artistic heritage will also feature in the 354 stoles worn by concelebrating priests and deacons, hand-printed by the historic Pascucci firm, active since 1826. The design depicts a cross at the center of a starry sky, inspired by the mosaic in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, with a further nod to Dante’s Paradiso and to the title of the 2026 Meeting, “The love that moves the sun and the other stars.” Pope Leo XIV, in turn, will leave the Diocese a chalice, which will already be used during the celebration of the Mass.
Another gift will come from inmates of Rimini’s district prison, who have prepared a handmade box containing letters and testimonies from the sick, young people and families. Santarcangelo will also take part, presenting an artistic reproduction of the Arco Ganganelli, a work by Elvis Spadoni that will be given to the Pontiff by Mayor Filippo Sacchetti together with the new parish priest of the Collegiata, Don Giampaolo Bernabini.
“A gift is not just an object: it’s a way of saying ‘this is our home, this is our history, this is what we wish to share with you,'” observes Monsignor Anselmi. “Tomorrow, we would like Pope Leo to feel, above all, the gift of this Church’s affection and prayer.”
Meanwhile, the chance to attend the celebration remains open right up to the last moment. Passes for the beach sectors are still available and can also be collected on Saturday, 22 August, from 9am to 2pm, at the Church of San Girolamo on Viale Principe Amedeo.
The Piazzale Boscovich area will be organized into sectors marked by different colors. Seating will be limited, while around 25,000 spaces are expected on the beach, where small folding chairs will also be allowed. Assistance and water-distribution points will be active throughout the event, and volunteers will also help accompany the most vulnerable and guide participants.
Before the Pontiff’s arrival, one final moment of preparation remains. This evening, Friday 21 August at 9pm, at the Church of San Nicolò, a prayer vigil organized by the Office for Youth and Vocational Pastoral Care, together with Bishop Anselmi, will be held. From 10.30pm, there will also be confessions, adoration and a “living library.”
“Pope Leo comes to confirm us in our faith and to remind us that we are not alone, that we belong to a universal Church,” the bishop concluded. “I hope that on Saturday, alongside the great turnout, there will above all be simplicity, prayer, joy and fraternity. Welcoming the Pope means welcoming a gift, but also allowing ourselves to be questioned by his presence and his message.”
In Rimini, the countdown is now nearly over. Saturday will be the day of Pope Leo XIV.
