The day Leo XIV discovered the Sant Roc neighborhood of Badalona
The new pope was "impressed" by the work of the Ateneo's volunteers and professionals.
BarcelonaPope Leo XIV visited the Badalona neighborhood of Sant Roc, one of the poorest in Catalonia, twice. It was in 2016, and the AugustinianRobert Prevost He ended up in the city, invited as prior of the order by the parish priest of the small church in the neighborhood, where he took the opportunity to learn firsthand about the work of the historic Ateneo de Sant Roc, whose headquarters are in premises attached to the parish.
During one of his visits, the now Pope was struck by the work that professionals and volunteers have been doing for decades with the children and young people of this Badalona neighborhood. The Augustinian left his impression written in an internal document kept by the order, and in which he praised the work "and the good example of the laity" in entities like this one, Anna Vicente, president of the board of trustees of the Ateneu Sant Roc Foundation and one of the volunteers in charge of energizing the groups they meet every day, reminds the ARA.NOW awarded the Carles Capdevila prize to the Esplai Borinot del Ateneu in the 2022 edition.
A decade later, Vicente celebrates the "sensitivity" of the man who has been appointed pope for having "captured the problems of the neighborhood and also the work that volunteers do to improve the lives of residents" in depressed and often stigmatized areas, as is the case of Sant Roc.
