The Election of Pope Leo XIV delighted and surprised many Catholics and non-Catholics alike. His first words before he gave his apostolic blessing, “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the City and the World”), were memorable. “Peace be with you all! Dear brothers and sisters, these are the first words spoken by the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for God’s flock.
I would like this greeting of peace to resound in your hearts, in your families, among all people, wherever they may be, in every nation and throughout the world. Peace be with you!”
The new bishop of Rome continued: “It is the peace of the risen Christ. A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally.”
Along with thanking the late Pope Francis for his Petrine service, Pope Leo expressed his hope that all of us will proceed together, joined to Christ and to one another, as we acknowledge that we are in God’s hands.
And he introduced himself to the world: “I am an Augustinian, a son of Saint Augustine, who once said, ‘With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.’ In this sense, all of us can journey together toward the homeland that God has prepared for us.”
Right before he imparted his first blessing, Pope Leo concluded: “Today (May 8) is the day of the Prayer of Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk at our side, to remain 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 Mary, our Mother, for this special grace: Hail Mary, full of grace… ”
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the 69-year-old native of Chicago who spent many years in Peru as a missionary and bishop, accepted this unique call from God. He prizes the importance of receiving and celebrating the sacraments as a bishop and priest, engaging in daily prayer and ministering to the Mystical Body of Christ on earth. Now, we will see him, as Pope Leo XIV, pursue his pastoral agenda to make Jesus Christ more known and loved by everyone.
In the brief period after his election, Pope Leo’s sincerity and cheerfulness have touched us. Already he has returned to the General House of the Augustinians in Rome, which is across the street from his residence in the “Holy Office” where the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith is located, to celebrate Mass and pray with his brother religious. And, in his first excursion outside of Vatican City, he traveled to Genazzano, about one hour from Rome, to visit the Augustinian Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel. He also stopped in the papal basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome to venerate Our Lady’s special church and to pray at the tomb of Pope Francis.
There will be plenty of joyful times to come as well as challenging days ahead for our fellow American. There are numerous difficulties that he must confront. Moral and geo-political problems abound without abating. Yet, he has committed himself to doing the Lord’s will, regardless of the cost. May we accompany Pope Leo XIV with our prayers and sacrifices, begging Mary, the Mother of Good Counsel, to protect her son.
Msgr. Mangan, former faculty member at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., is parochial vicar of several parishes in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Corpus Christi