GENAZZANO – Pope Leo XIV took his first trip outside the Vatican on Saturday, visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in the small Italian town of Genazzano, about an hour’s drive east of Rome.

The surprise visit saw the new pontiff arrive in the passenger seat of a Volkswagen vehicle at the Augustinian-run sanctuary, where he was greeted by cheering crowds gathered outside.

“I wanted so much to come here in these first days of the new Ministry that the Church has given me,” the pope told those gathered outside the church, explaining he sought guidance as he begins his papacy.

Leo, who was elected pope just two days ago on May 8, stopped to shake hands and offer blessings to several people before entering the shrine to pray before the ancient image of the Madonna and Child. The Vatican confirmed the pope arrived at approximately 4:00 p.m. for what was described as a private visit.

The visit holds deep significance as the pope, formerly US Cardinal Robert Prevost, is a member of the Augustinian religious order that has overseen the sanctuary since 1356. He is the first Augustinian to be elected pope in the Church’s history.

“This afternoon, shortly after 4:00 p.m., Pope Leo XIV reached the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano for a private visit. The shrine, run by the religious of the Order of Saint Augustine, houses an ancient image of the Virgin, dear to the Order and to the memory of Leo XIII,” the Vatican said in a statement.

The Genazzano shrine houses a small 15th-century fresco of the Virgin Mary and Child that, according to tradition, miraculously appeared in 1467. The image is particularly venerated by the Augustinian order and has been an important pilgrimage site for centuries.

The pope traveled with a Vatican security motorcade but used a modest black Volkswagen van, seated in the front seat next to the driver, continuing the more informal papal style that characterized much of Francis’s papacy.

After his visit to Genazzano, Leo stopped at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome to pray at the tomb of his predecessor Pope Francis, who died on April 21 and chose to be buried there rather than in the Vatican grottoes.

Earlier in the day, Leo addressed the College of Cardinals at the Vatican, signaling he would continue the reforms begun by Pope Francis. He identified artificial intelligence as a major challenge for humanity and emphasized themes of dialogue and peace.

The unannounced trip follows a tradition set by his predecessor Pope Francis, who frequently made surprise visits to Catholic sites near Rome during his papacy. The new pope’s inaugural Mass is scheduled for May 18 in St. Peter’s Square.

Leo XIV, at 69, is the first American to be elected pope and the first member of the Augustinian order to lead the Catholic Church. Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, he spent much of his career as a missionary in Peru before being appointed to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.