Our New Pope: Leo XIV

“Peace be with you all!”

Pope Leo XIV was elected 267th Bishop of Rome on May 8, 2025: Day of Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii, Memorial of Blessed Catherine de St. Augustin, and the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. 

Prayer Card for Pope Leo XIV

Prayer Card – For the New Pope EN (2025-05-08))

Carte de prière – pour le nouveau Pape FR (2025-05-08)

“Urbi et Orbi” blessing given by Pope Leo XIV after his election

“Peace be with you all!”

“Beloved brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who has given his life for the flock of God. I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, reach your families, to all people, wherever they may be, to all peoples, to all the earth.

“Peace be with you!”

This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarmed peace and a disarming peace, humble and persevering. It comes from God, God who loves us all unconditionally. We still retain in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome!

The pope blessing Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the whole world, that morning of Easter Day. Let me follow up on that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God’s hands. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and each other — let us go forward. We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us.”

The world needs His light. Humanity needs Him as the bridge to be reached by God and his love. Help us also, and then help each other to build bridges, with dialogue, with encounter, uniting us all to be one people always at peace. Thank you Pope Francis!”

I also want to thank all my brother cardinals who have chosen me to be Successor of Peter and walk together with you, as a united Church always seeking peace, justice, always seeking to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.

I am a son of St. Augustine, an Augustinian, who said, “For you I am a bishop, with you, I am a Christian.” In this sense we can all walk together toward that homeland that God has prepared.

To the Church of Rome, a special greeting! We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, dialogue, always open to receive, like this square, with open arms. Everyone, everyone who needs our charity, our presence, dialogue and love.

[In Spanish] And if you allow me a word, a greeting to everyone and especially to my dear Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop, shared their faith and has given so much, so much to continue to be a faithful Church of Jesus Christ.

To all of you, brothers and sisters from Rome, from Italy, from all over the world, we want to be a synodal Church, a church that walks, a church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer.

Today is the day of Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, be close, help us with her intercession and love.

So I would like to pray together with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole church, for peace in the world, and let us ask Mary, our Mother, for this special grace.

Ave Maria…

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/pope-leo-xvi-peace-be-with-you-first-words.html

From the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

The Church in Canada and throughout the world rejoices, as His Eminence Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, O.S.A., after being duly elected by the College of Cardinals, has accepted to become the 267th Bishop of Rome, successor of Saint Peter, and vicar of Christ on earth!

Taking the name Leo XIV, the Roman Pontiff, as the successor of Saint Peter, is the “perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the Bishops and the whole company of the faithful” (Lumen Gentium, no. 23). As our loving shepherd and spiritual guide, Pope Leo XIV’s ministry is to orient Christ’s flock toward the kingdom of heaven, where the citizenship of Christians truly lies (cf. Philippians 3:20-21).

Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 14 September 1955. As a member of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.), in which he held various leadership positions, he dedicated many years of service to the Augustinian missions in Peru as a priest and seminary professor. He was eventually appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, by Pope Francis. As a Bishop of the Church in Peru, he served as Vice President and member of the Permanent Council of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference. In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops and elevated him to the College of Cardinals. Pope Leo XIV holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

Commenting on this historic moment, the President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary, asks the faithful to embrace the new Pope: “I encourage the faithful in Canada to unite with their local Ordinary in welcoming Pope Leo XIV as our new Holy Father, and to remember him daily in their prayers so that he may embark on his Petrine ministry with fidelity, confident that the Lord will help him.”

As the Church in Canada rejoices today with Christians throughout the world, let us remember our new Holy Father in prayer, that despite the considerable weight of his role and responsibilities, his yoke may be easy and his burden light (cf. Matthew 11:28-20).

May God grant strength and wisdom to our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV, and may Mary, Mother of the Church, be ever at his side, guarding him with her mantle of protection.

Prayer for the Pope