Communio Volunteer Anastasia Pinto Meets Pope Leo XIV: A Moment of Great Pride

Vatican City, June 30, 2025 - It is a moment of immense pride and joy for the entire Communio family as one of its own, Ms. Anastasia Neil Pinto, a Communio Volunteer since 2021 and the Digital Media Coordinator, had the rare honour of meeting Pope Leo XIV on 26 June 2025 at the Vatican.

Anastasia's journey from grassroots digital evangelization to serving at the heart of the Church is nothing short of inspiring. Her dedication to faith-based communication and her creative efforts in spreading the Gospel through digital platforms earned her the recognition of the Synod Secretariat of the Holy See, which selected her as a Digital Media Volunteer for the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the year 2025.

Before joining the Synod Secretariat in Rome, Anastasia had already been contributing from India, designing social media graphics and promoting the synodal journey online. Her connection with the Vatican deepened during a providential visit to Rome in the summer of 2024, when she attended a leadership training program at the Lay Centre, a vibrant Roman community offering lay women and men a meaningful experience of community life along with programs for human, spiritual, intellectual, and professional formation.

Reflecting on her journey, Anastasia shared, “It was a providential visit to Rome last summer where I visited the Synod office and attended a leadership training program at the Lay Centre, which led to this unique opening to serve and offer the gifts I have received to the community I live in and to the Synod office.”

Anastasia reached Rome through the Vatican Fellowship provided by the Lay Centre, which paved the way for her full-time service at the Synod Secretariat in Vatican City.

Communio is deeply proud of her achievements. From her early volunteer days to becoming a young Indian lay woman serving the universal Church at its heart, Anastasia continues to exemplify the missionary spirit of Communio. Her witness is a beacon for youth across India, showing how one’s talents and faith can be offered meaningfully in service of the Church.

May her encounter with Pope Leo XIV inspire many more young Catholics to rise with bold hearts and missionary zeal, ready to carry the light of Christ into the digital continent and the wider world.

Communio salutes Ms. Anastasia Pinto for her missionary spirit, innovation, and faithful service. May God continue to bless her and all those serving the Church with generous hearts.

Sr. Margarita Dias SCB 

Associate Director, Communio