We celebrate this month the first anniversary of the election of Pope Leo XIV as the successor of St. Peter. As we did from the first moment of his pontificate, we express gratitude to the Lord for the gift of the Holy Father and entrust him to God’s protection as he carries out his duties as the Church’s supreme pastor. In greeting the world, the Holy Father’s first words were “Peace be with you all.” These words, which our Risen Lord spoke to his disciples, continue to anchor our hopes for our world, our nation, and our lives.
Pope Leo XIV’s pontifical motto, “In Illo uno unum,” means “In the One, we are one.” The Holy Father is a bridge builder who points the world to the Lord as the true reason for every hope and for lasting peace and unity. This profoundly Christocentric focus echoes the famous observation of St. Augustine: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
In the first months of his pontificate, Pope Leo emphasized the central importance of the world finding its unity in Christ by weaving this theme into many of his addresses and remarks. At one of his general audiences in St. Peter’s Square, he reflected on Christ’s suffering and on his final utterance of a “loud cry” to God. “The Gospels attest to a very precious detail, which is worthy of contemplation with the intelligence of faith,” he stated. “The Gospel confers an immense value to our cry, reminding us that it can be an invocation, a protest, a desire, a surrender. It can even be the extreme form of prayer, when there are no words left. In that cry, Jesus gave all that he had left: all his love, all his hope.” When we cry out, perhaps amid the burdens, challenges, or sorrows in our lives or those of our family, it is because we have faith that God hears us and will respond to us. In this way, Pope Leo again directs us to the Lord and to the wisdom of trusting in God even when our worldly circumstances may be most distressing or even appear hopeless. God, the author of our lives and source of every blessing, will hear us and respond.
At one point Pope Leo XIV addressed a delegation of civil authorities and encouraged each person to unite themselves “ever more closely to Jesus.” The Holy Father emphasized the importance of living in a coherent and indivisible way, offering remarks equally appropriate for our diocese and the many who serve our nation and communities: “There is no separation in the personality of a public figure,” stated Pope Leo, for “there is not the politician on one side, and the Christian on the other. Rather, there is the politician who, under the gaze of God and his conscience, lives his commitments and responsibilities in a Christian manner!” The Holy Father emphasized the connection between God’s divine law and the natural law which allows us to discern right from wrong in our daily lives. He concluded: “You are therefore called to strengthen your faith, to deepen your understanding of doctrine — in particular the social doctrine — that Jesus taught the world, and to put it into practice in the exercise of your functions and the drafting of laws” whose aim is always “the good of every human being” and the “building of peaceful, harmonious, and reconciled societies.” In this way, Pope Leo reminds us of the importance of fidelity to God in all things, in our public and professional lives as much as in our personal and family lives.
Pope Leo XIV’s choice of papal name was inspired in part by the pontificate of Leo XIII, the encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” and the Church’s response a century ago to the challenges posed by industrialization. Our Holy Father has candidly spoken of the risks of artificial intelligence and technology in our time. In an address to young people for the Jubilee of the World of Education, he stated: “Do not let the algorithm write your story! Be the authors yourselves; use technology wisely, but do not let technology use you. Artificial intelligence is also a great novelty — one of the rerum novarum, or ‘new things,’ of our time. However, it is not enough to be ‘intelligent’ in virtual reality; we must also treat one another humanely, nurturing emotional, spiritual, social and ecological intelligence. Therefore, I say to you: learn to humanize the digital, building it as a space of fraternity and creativity — not a cage where you lock yourselves in, not an addiction or an escape.” Pope Leo’s remarks should encourage us to strive to use technology and especially digital media consciously and intentionally, recognizing that many companies and platforms today look to capture our attention and change our behavior in ways that are sometimes at odds with the Gospel.
In thinking back on the conclave of one year ago, taking place so soon after the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, one might naturally wonder how any man can offer such a profound “yes” to such an extraordinary mission and task as to be the successor of St. Peter. Certainly, the courage that such acceptance requires is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It is also, no doubt, the fruit of all the smaller “yeses” which Pope Leo had offered to the Lord throughout his life and ministry as priest and bishop. We tend to see in the lives of all those with profound faith an ever-growing and ever-deepening commitment to accept with humility and trust the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
In responding with acceptance to the momentous calling of the papacy, Pope Leo XIV models for us the necessity to grow in our ability and willingness to respond enthusiastically to God, saying “yes” to his will and plan for our lives. As people of faith, may we, by making a habit of saying “yes” to God, to his ways, promptings, and commands, grow in all the habits of virtue that make for happiness. May God bless and protect Pope Leo XIV and watch over him always.
