Pope Leo XIV visits Vatican Radio transmitters, proposed solar energy site

Vatican City, Jun 19, 2025 / 15:33 pm

Pope Leo XIV visited the Vatican’s radio transmitter station in Santa Maria di Galeria, Italy, on Thursday and thanked staff for their dedicated work in communicating the Church’s mission around the world.

During the June 19 site visit, the Holy Father blessed staff working in the central radio center on the Vatican’s Corpus Christi holiday and reaffirmed the “missionary value” of their work in communication.

Leo told staff he was grateful for Vatican news reports while in Africa and in Latin America as a missionary, the Holy See Press Office indicated in a telegram post on Thursday.

The last pope to visit the Santa Maria di Galeria central radio center was John Paul II in 1991. Pope Pius XII inaugurated the site in 1957, more than two decades after Pope Pius XI pioneered Vatican Radio with Italian engineer and Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi in 1931.

The Holy Father also shared light refreshments with staff present Thursday morning to celebrate with them the 43rd anniversary of his June 19 priestly ordination. 

As part of his visit to Santa Maria di Galeria, a Vatican extra territory outside of Rome, Leo had the opportunity to examine the project site being studied for an “agrivoltaic system” for farming and solar energy production.

Nearly one year has passed since Pope Francis revealed his plan for the Vatican state to transition to solar energy as its main power source, as outlined in the 2024 motu proprio Fratello Sole, or “Brother Sun.”