Pope Leo XIV visits the headquarters of his Augustinian order

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and had lunch with members of his Augustinian religious order on Tuesday, slipping into the congregation’s headquarters outside St. Peter’s Square where he served for 12 years as superior.

“The atmosphere was of great fraternity," said the Rev. Gabriele Pedicino, head of the Augustinians' Italian branch. “You really always have to practice and remember that he is now the pope, because he puts you at ease and has this closeness that always impresses me.”

Leo was seen arriving in a black vehicle at around lunchtime at the Augustinianum, the pontifical institute that also serves as the Rome-based residence and headquarters of the Order of St. Augustine. Leo left shortly before 3 p.m.

The ethos of the order, which includes a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others, is traced to the fifth-century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity.

The former Rev. Robert Prevost, history's first American pope, was twice elected superior of the order, serving as general prior from 2001-2013. The order was formed in the 13th century as a community of mendicant friars — dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization and inspired by the saint.

Ever since his May 8 election, Leo has repeatedly emphasized that he's a “son of St. Augustine” and quoted from the saint.

He visited an Augustinian-run Marian sanctuary south of Rome on Saturday in his first outing as pope, and during his first greeting to the world, Leo wore a pectoral cross given to him by his order that contained relics of St. Augustine.

Leo, the first Augustinian pope, has also kept as his papal coat of arms and motto "In Illo uno unum.” The words were pronounced by St. Augustine in a sermon to explain that “although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one.” The emblem on the coast of arms is that of the Augustinian order: a pierced flaming heart and a book, representing the Scriptures.

Pedicino said that he expected Leo to apply Augustine's teaching about communion and unity in diversity in his new ministry as pope.

“Diversity isn't a danger or something negative,” he said of Augustine's teaching. “So I think the pope will work so that inside the church and out, the ‘other’ is increasingly seen not as a danger if different, but as someone to love and who enriches our life and makes it more beautiful.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Leo XIV leaves the Augustinian General House in Rome after a visit on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Pope Leo XIV leaves the Augustinian General House in Rome after a visit on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday fired off another warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braces for potential widespread unrest after Nicolás Maduro was deposed as Venezuela's leader.

Cuba, a major beneficiary of Venezuelan oil, has now been cut off from those shipments as U.S. forces continue to seize tankers in an effort to control the production, refining and global distribution of the country's oil products.

Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!”

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

The Cuban government said 32 of its military personnel were killed during the American operation last weekend that captured Maduro. The personnel from Cuba’s two main security agencies were in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as part of an agreement between Cuba and Venezuela.

“Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” Trump said Sunday. “Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”

Trump also responded to another account’s social media post predicting that his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will be president of Cuba: “Sounds good to me!” Trump said.

Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive tone toward Cuba, which had been kept economically afloat by Venezuela. Long before Maduro's capture, severe blackouts were sidelining life in Cuba, where people endured long lines at gas stations and supermarkets amid the island’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Trump has said previously that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, would slide further with the ouster of Maduro.

“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”

A person watches the oil tanker Ocean Mariner, Monrovia, arrive to the bay in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

President Donald Trump attends a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)