Habemus Papam!
The first man to be elected Pontifex Maximus from the United States, Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, O.S.A., becomes the fourteenth pope to bear the name Leo.
Pope Leo XIV
On the second day of voting in the Conclave, upon the fourth ballot, minutes after a hungry baby seagull appeared with mother and father on the jumbotron focused on the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, white smoke billowed from the smoke stack.
Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the loggia today, greeted by tens of thousands of pilgrims, visitors, and citizens of Rome. He had a stately bearing, wearing the papal mozzetta and stole, as Pope Benedict XVI had done upon his election in 2005. Pope Leo XIV spread his hands as a father welcoming his children. A microphone was set before him, and he spoke with only a slight accent in his Italian as he gave his papal address from a prepared speech, also as Pope Benedict XVI had done 20 years earlier.
Pope Leo XIV’s First Speech
Peace be with you all!
Dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who gave his life for God’s flock. I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, all people, wherever they are, all peoples, the whole earth. Peace be with you!
This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering. It comes from God, who loves us all unconditionally. We still hear in our ears the faint but always courageous voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome!
The Pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the whole world, on that Easter morning. Allow me to echo 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 with one another, let us move 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. Humanity needs him to help us and to help one another build bridges through dialogue, through 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 chose me to be Peter’s successor and to walk with you, as a united Church, always seeking peace and justice, always trying 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: “With you, I am Christian; and for you, I am bishop.” In this sense, we can all walk together toward the homeland that God has prepared for us.
A special greeting to the Church of Rome! Together we must seek ways to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges and dialogue, always open to welcoming others, just like this square with its open arms. All those who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, and love.
And if you allow me, a word, a greeting to all those and in particular to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people has accompanied its bishop, shared its faith, and given so much, so much to continue being a faithful Church of Jesus Christ.
To all of you, brothers and sisters in Rome, in Italy, throughout 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 the Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, to be close to us, to help us with her intercession and her 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 for this special grace from Mary, our Mother.
Hail Mary. . .
