Leo XIV embraces his Augustinian family in Buenos Aires: the joy of the reunion

Pope Leo XIV received representatives of the Augustinians, Augustinian Recollects, and Missionary Augustinian Sisters at the Apostolic Nunciature in Buenos Aires. Friar Diego Corbalán, OSA, and Friar Augusto Uriarte, OAR, speak of the emotion of meeting a brother who, although now the successor of Peter, retains his usual closeness and warmth.

There are hugs that don’t need many words. A look, a smile, or a gesture of complicity is enough to recognize someone with whom you share the same history. Something like that happened in Buenos Aires, when Pope Leo XIV met again with his brothers and sisters of the Augustinian family.

On Sunday, November 8, at 7:30 PM, after an intense day of activities during his apostolic journey to Argentina, the Holy Father received representatives of the Order of Saint Augustine, the Augustinian Recollects, and the Missionary Augustinian Sisters at the Apostolic Nunciature.

It was not simply a private audience with the Pope. It was a family encounter. And, as happens in families, there was much accumulated affection, memories to share, and a joy that was difficult to hide.

“The same warm look, the same closeness”

Among those who participated was Friar Diego Corbalán, OSA, who shared with Augustinians with the Pope his testimony of an especially significant night.

“For us Augustinians, it was a very special moment that we experienced tonight when we visited Pope Leo,” recalls the religious, who describes what happened with one word that sums up the entire experience: reunion.

“It is meeting a brother we hadn’t seen for a long time,” he explains.

And when Leo XIV entered the room, there was something that especially caught the attention of those who had known him since before his election as Pontiff.

“From the moment he entered the room and greeted us, he still had the same warm look. Different now, because he is Pope Leo, but the same closeness, the same warmth as a person, as a brother.”

An impression shared by Friar Augusto Uriarte, OAR, who also participated in the encounter and especially remembers the spontaneity with which the Holy Father received his spiritual family.

“In the meeting, the Pope showed us that Augustinian familiarity,” explains the Augustinian Recollect. The first thing he remembers is precisely his smile when the door opened and that look directed at everyone present, which made them feel welcomed from the first moment.

For Friar Augusto, one of the most special moments came when he was able to personally approach the Pontiff. He was wearing a Peru jersey that Leo XIV signed for him, and he had the opportunity to ask him for a hug.

“I asked him for a hug and, of course, he granted it to me,” he recalls with joy.

They were also able to converse briefly about the Holy Father’s upcoming visit to Peru, a country deeply linked to Leo XIV’s personal and missionary history.

Both testimonies agree on the essentials: beyond the solemnity of the Petrine ministry, those who participated in the encounter were able to experience the closeness of a brother.

Gifts that tell stories and hugs that remain

As happens when a family receives one of its own, the Augustinians wanted Leo XIV to take some souvenirs from Argentina with him. But they were not gifts chosen at random: each one had a story behind it and many people who had wanted to be present.

After the Holy Father’s greeting and the words of the regional vicar, Friar Juan Antonio Gil, OSA, the time came to present the gifts.

One of them was a painting by the artist Mercedes Fariña, inspired by Peru, the country where Leo XIV dedicated so many years of his life to pastoral and missionary service.

He also received a painting offered by former students, which commemorates the return of the Augustinians to Argentina in 1901, when the first community of that new stage of the Augustinian presence in the country was formed.

The third surprise was a personalized mate, one of the most beloved symbols of Argentine culture. Much more than a drink, it represents shared time, quiet conversation, and friendship.

“Mate is always a sign of community, fraternity, sincere dialogue, and listening,” explains Friar Diego.

The gifts also had a collective meaning. Behind them were many families, laity, and collaborators who participate in the life of the Augustinian communities and who wanted to express their affection to the Pope.

In a way, those who could not enter that room were also present.

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One soul and one heart, also with the Pope

Augustinian spirituality has a particular way of understanding fraternity. It is not simply about living together or sharing a tradition, but about walking together toward God.

Saint Augustine expresses it at the beginning of his Rule with an exhortation that continues to give meaning to the life of his communities: “Be of one soul and one heart intent upon God.”

In Buenos Aires, those words took on a special force. For Friar Diego, the encounter was also an opportunity to convey to the Holy Father the affection and prayers of his brothers, as well as the commitment to continue living the values of Augustinian spirituality.

“We continue trying to live interiority, community, and service more strongly every day,” he notes, also recalling the desire to continue announcing Christ in a society that often seems to have forgotten Him.

Friar Augusto, for his part, describes the encounter as a “totally family” experience, marked by closeness and a deep sense of gratitude.

“He simply transmitted that to us, that peace,” recalls the religious, who also highlights the blessing they received from the Holy Father before saying goodbye.

“We were all able to leave with very grateful hearts,” he adds.

These are simple words, but they well express what that night meant for the participants: the joy of sharing, the emotion of the embrace, and the certainty of belonging to a family that finds in Saint Augustine a way to live communion in service to the Church.

In the midst of the great celebrations, speeches, and crowds that accompany Leo XIV’s apostolic journey, the Apostolic Nunciature of Buenos Aires was the setting for something much simpler: a family reunited.

And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful images of this trip. That of a Pope who finds time to embrace his brothers and sisters, and that of an Augustinian family that discovers, once again, that communion is not just something that is preached.

It is something that is lived. And, when the occasion arises, it is also celebrated with a hug.