St. Lawrence Parish

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The day after advancing to the semi-finals of the Italian Open, Jannik Sinner paid a visit to a fan.

While in Rome for the tournament May 14, the world's highest-ranked tennis player walked into the halls of the Vatican and met with Pope Leo XIV, who proved to be a well-informed spectator of the young champion.

"Last night you won," the pope said while shaking his hand, referencing the Italian's straight-sets victory over 17th-seeded Francisco Cerùndolo -- 7-6, 6-3 in just over two hours.

Sinner presented the pope with a custom-made white tennis racket, matching the papal cassock. Pope Leo, clearly enjoying the moment, gestured to his white cassock and quipped that Wimbledon would let him play -- referencing the tournament's famous all-white dress code. 

The encounter took a playful turn when Sinner, holding up a tennis ball, asked the pope if he wanted to play.

"Here we'll break something," the pope responded with a laugh, looking around at the room's antique furniture. "Better not."

Before posing for photos with Sinner's parents and the Italian Open trophy, the two discussed the tournament -- Sinner's first after a three-month break.

"Now we're in the game," Sinner told the pope, acknowledging a shaky start. "With three games (gone), we've gotten a bit of rhythm."

Meeting the press after the game May 12, Sinner responded to news that the new pope was a tennis fan.

"I think it's a good thing for us tennis players to have a pope who likes this sport that we're playing," he said.
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal Michael Czerny said that when Cardinal Robert F. Prevost was elected pope and chose the name Leo XIV, "I rejoiced, I really rejoiced."

The new pope said he chose his name in homage to Pope Leo XIII, often referred to as "the father of Catholic social teaching," recognizing that the church's social doctrine needs to be renewed to respond to the new industrial revolution, including the development of artificial intelligence, which poses "new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor."

Speaking to Catholic News Service May 13, Cardinal Czerny said, "The issue of work is of vital importance to the vast majority of people on the planet" and Pope Leo has made it clear that it is an issue important to him as well.

People all over the globe, he said, are asking themselves how they can survive and thrive and support their families when decent, fulfilling jobs are becoming more difficult to find. 

"Society doesn't seem to be even remotely ready to face this problem -- just keep discarding the workers and applauding AI for its innovations," Cardinal Czerny said.

But AI is just one example, he said. "Climate change, human rights violations, war, environmental degradation: they all contribute to the same result, which is the destruction of jobs, the elimination of jobs and the increasing difficulty of earning one's living."

"It is a huge and threatening problem," the cardinal said, "and I'm very glad that Pope Leo has signaled how much the church cares about this, how engaged the church promises to be with this issue, which touches the very essence of what it means to be human, the essence of human dignity and not only the quality of life, but the very possibility of living together in harmony and also living a decent life, a dignified human life."

The issue of migration also is tied to the issue of work, Cardinal Czerny said, because a lack of decent jobs can force people to leave their homelands and finding work is one of the first things migrants and refugees do when they reach their destinations.

But "now they are in the same boat with everyone else," he said, trying to find a decent job. Initially, migrants and refugees tend to take the jobs no one else wants because they are badly paid, unstable and unfulfilling. 

Closing a country's borders to immigrants is not going to help the country's citizens find decent jobs because fewer and fewer decent jobs exist, Cardinal Czerny said.

An anti-immigrant stance is not a "position based on reason," he said. "It is based rather on feelings of fear and insecurity and confusion."

Turning specifically to the United States, Cardinal Czerny said that "what jobs meant in the context of the American Dream, in simple words, was that 'My kids are going to work and go do even better than I am,' but that's over. That is over."

However, with "demagoguery and propaganda and fake news," he said, many Americans are led to believe that "closing the borders and throwing out foreigners or undocumented people is going to make America prosperous and secure like they remember it was, and that we are going to live happily ever after and better without these people. It's just not true."

Cardinal Czerny said the distinction between the need for missionaries in places like Peru, where Pope Leo XIV spent decades ministering, and in Europe or North America also has disappeared.

"All parts of the church throughout the world have to be missionary," he said, "and in some ways, it is easier if you are going to a place like Chiclayo (Peru), which is known to everyone as a missionary church, than it is in New York or San Francisco, but it's just as important."

And, the cardinal said, "there is no bishop of a diocese without poor, marginalized, invisible and probably also exploited people," so clearly one cannot say it is easier to be a missionary bishop "in Chicago than in Chiclayo."

CNS also asked Cardinal Czerny, a close collaborator of Pope Francis, how the cardinals managed to elect a new pope so quickly while still mourning Pope Francis. 

"I think it is thanks to tradition," he replied. "If we had arrived and there was no preset procedure and we had to start figuring out how we are going to go about this, it would take a month or two months or three months."

But having a clear procedure, he said, "we were carried by the tradition," and "the tradition freed us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, so that we did not have to fuss about the details."

Asked about small earlier signs that Pope Leo's pontificate will be different from Pope Francis' -- signs like the new pope appearing on the balcony wearing the red mozzetta or cape or giving his blessing in Latin -- Cardinal Czerny said it is too early to start talking about how this pope will be different, although of course he will be.

"The early days of Pope Leo are not choreographed," Cardinal Czerny said. "He is not making his choices or using his words to send messages. He is beginning as best he can, and he is communicating as best he can. And if you want to read significance into this choice or that word or this repetition, you have to wait three months or six months or a year."

Cardinal: Leo's early choices aren't key to his papacy

Cardinal Michael Czerny told Catholic News Service that he did not think it would be helpful for people to scrutinize every early decision of Pope Leo XIV as if decisions like appearing on the balcony of St. Peter's wearing the traditional mozzetta or...

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Among his first messages, Pope Leo XIV expressed his intention to strengthen the Catholic Church's ties with the Jewish community.

"Trusting in the assistance of the Almighty, I pledge to continue and strengthen the church's dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council's declaration 'Nostra Aetate,'" the pope wrote in a message to Rabbi Noam Marans, director of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee (AJC).

Promulgated 60 years ago, "Nostra Aetate" affirmed the Catholic Church's spiritual kinship with the Jewish people and condemned all forms of anti-Semitism.

The pope's message signed May 8 -- the day of his election -- was posted on the AJC's X account May 13.

The AJC is an advocacy group that "stands up for Israel's right to exist in peace and security; confronts antisemitism, no matter the source; and upholds the democratic values that unite Jews and our allies," according to its website.

Although Pope Leo did not address the Israel-Hamas war explicitly after praying the "Regina Coeli" with pilgrims in St. Peter's Square May 11, he called for an "immediate ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip. 

"Let humanitarian aid be provided to the stricken civil population, and let all the hostages be freed," he said.

Pope Leo also sent a personal message to Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome, "informing him of his election as the new pontiff," according to a statement posted May 13 on the Facebook page of Rome's Jewish community.

In his message, the statement said, "Pope Leo XIV committed himself to continuing and strengthening the dialogue and cooperation of the church with the Jewish people in the spirit of the Vatican II declaration 'Nostra Aetate.'"

"The chief rabbi of Rome, who will be present at the celebration of the inauguration of the pontificate (May 18), welcomed with satisfaction and gratitude the words addressed to him by the new pope," the statement added.

Jews have lived in Rome since long before Christ was born, and centuries of interaction between the city's Jewish community and the popes means Jewish-Vatican relations in the city have a unique history, much of it sad.

In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI visited the Rome synagogue, the staff of the Jewish Museum of Rome, located in the synagogue complex, planned a special exhibit illustrating part of that history.

The centerpiece of the exhibit was comprised of 14 decorative panels made by Jewish artists to mark the inauguration of the pontificates of Popes Clement XII, Clement XIII, Clement XIV and Pius VI in the 1700s.

For hundreds of years, the Jewish community was obliged to participate in the ceremonies surrounding the enthronement of new popes -- often in a humiliating manner.

Various groups in the city were assigned to decorate different sections of the pope's route between the Vatican and the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the pope's cathedral. The Jewish community was responsible for the stretch of road between the Colosseum and the Arch of Titus, which celebrates the Roman Empire's victory over the Jews of Jerusalem in the first century. The Roman victory included the destruction of the Temple, Judaism's holiest site, and the triumphal arch depicts Roman soldiers carrying off the menorah and other Jewish liturgical items.

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Contributing to this story was Cindy Wooden in Rome.
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV asked journalists to be peacemakers by shunning prejudice and anger in their reporting, and he called for the release of journalists imprisoned for their work.

"The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press," the pope said May 12.

Not counting his meeting May 10 with the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo's first special audience was reserved for members of the media who covered the death of Pope Francis April 21 and the election of Pope Leo May 8..

"Thank you for the work you have done and continue to do in these days, which is truly a time of grace for the church," he told the media representatives and staff of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication. 

The new pope particularly thanked reporters "for what you have done to move beyond stereotypes and clichés through which we often interpret Christian life and the life of the church itself."

After giving his speech and his apostolic blessing, the pope personally greeted dozens of journalists. One asked if he would be traveling home to the United States soon, the pope responded, "I don't think so."

Asked about the May 13 feast of Our Lady of Fatima, Pope Leo, referring to himself, said, "Cardinal Prevost had planned to go, but the plans changed."

Another reporter asked the pope if he planned to fulfill Pope Francis' promise of going to Turkey this year to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The council was held in 325 in what is now Iznik, Turkey.

"We are preparing for it," the pope responded. But he did not say when the trip would be.

In his formal talk, Pope Leo focused on how the media can promote division and discord or peace.

The Gospel beatitude, "Blessed are the peacemakers," is a challenge for everyone, he said, but especially for the media. It calls "each one of you to strive for a different kind of communication, one that does not seek consensus at all costs, does not use aggressive words, does not follow the culture of competition and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it." 

"Peace begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others," he said. "In this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance: we must say 'no' to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war."

The words and style journalists use are "crucial," he said, because communication is not only about transmitting information; it should create a culture and "human and digital environments that become spaces for dialogue and discussion."

"We do not need loud, forceful communication, but rather communication that is capable of listening and of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice," he said.

"Let us disarm words and we will help to disarm the world," he said. "Disarmed and disarming communication allows us to share a different view of the world and to act in a manner consistent with our human dignity."

"You are at the forefront of reporting on conflicts and aspirations for peace, on situations of injustice and poverty and on the silent work of so many people striving to create a better world," he told the reporters. "For this reason, I ask you to choose consciously and courageously the path of communication in favor of peace."

The pope had told members of the College of Cardinals that he chose his name in homage to Pope Leo XIII, recognizing the need to renew Catholic social teaching to face today's new industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence "that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor."

That technology, he told the reporters, poses special challenges for them. "I am thinking in particular of artificial intelligence, with its immense potential, which nevertheless requires responsibility and discernment in order to ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity."
 

Pope Leo to media: Speak truth in love

Pope Leo met with journalists accredited to the Holy See May 12 and encouraged them to avoid war-like polemics and to instead communicate the truth in love.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With a huge and festive crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV led his first Sunday recitation of the "Regina Coeli" prayer and urged all Catholics to pray for vocations, especially to the priesthood and religious life. 

Before the pope appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica May 11, the crowd was entertained by dozens of marching bands and folkloristic dance troupes who had marched into the square after attending an outdoor Mass for the Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment.

Pope Leo also noted that it was Mother's Day in Italy, the United States and elsewhere. "I send a special greeting to all mothers with a prayer for them and for those who are already in heaven," he said. "Happy holiday to all moms!"

Italian officials estimated 100,000 people were in St. Peter's Square or on the surrounding streets to join the new pope for the midday prayer.

In his main address, Pope Leo said it was a "gift" to lead the crowd for the first time on the Sunday when the church proclaims a passage from John 10 "where Jesus reveals himself as the true Shepherd, who knows and loves his sheep and gives his life for them." 

It also is the day the Catholic Church offers special prayers for vocations, especially to the priesthood and religious life.

"It is important that young men and women on their vocational journey find acceptance, listening and encouragement in their communities, and that they can look up to credible models of generous dedication to God and to their brothers and sisters," the pope said.

Noting that Pope Francis had released a message in March in preparation for the day of prayer, Pope Leo told the crowd, "Let us take up the invitation that Pope Francis left us in his message for today: the invitation to welcome and accompany young people."

"And let us ask our heavenly Father to assist us in living in service to one another, each according to his or her state of life, shepherds after his own heart, capable of helping one another to walk in love and truth," the new pope said. 

Setting aside his prepared text, he told young people in the square, "Do not be afraid! Welcome the call of the church and of Christ the Lord."

After reciting the "Regina Coeli," he mentioned how the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe was celebrated May 8, the day of his election.

While that is reason to celebrate, he said, "'the Third World War is being fought piecemeal,' as Pope Francis often said. I, too, appeal to the leaders of the world, repeating this ever-relevant plea: Never again war!"

Pope Leo prayed for the people of Ukraine, saying, "May everything possible be done to achieve as soon as possible an authentic, just and lasting peace. May all prisoners be freed, and may the children return to their families." Ukraine says thousands of children have been forcibly taken to Russia during the war.

The pope also told the crowd, "I am deeply saddened by what is happening in the Gaza Strip. Let the fighting cease immediately. Humanitarian aid must be given to the exhausted civilian population, and all hostages must be released."

He praised India and Pakistan for reaching a ceasefire agreement, but said, "But how many other conflicts are there in the world?"

Pope Leo entrusted his "heartfelt appeal" for peace to Mary, "Queen of Peace, that she may present it to the Lord Jesus to obtain for us the miracle of peace."

Earlier in the day, Pope Leo had celebrated Mass at an altar near the tomb of St. Peter in the grotto of St. Peter's Basilica. Father Alejandro Moral Anton, the prior general of the Order of St. Augustine, to which the pope belonged, was the principal celebrant.

Afterward, the Vatican press office said, he stopped to pray at the tombs of popes who are buried in the grotto.

Pope Leo on vocations: Give your lives to God!

Pope Leo the XIV prayed the Regina Coeli and then spoke on the importance of World Day of Prayer for Vocations to massive crowds who had come to St. Peter's Square to see the new pope.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic community is alive, beautiful and strong, and it is up to its pastors to protect and nourish the faithful and to help bring God's hope to the whole world, Pope Leo XIV said.

For that reason, the pope invited the cardinals "to renew together today our complete commitment to the path that the universal church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council," and that "Pope Francis masterfully and concretely set it forth in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel"), he said May 10, in his first formal speech to the College of Cardinals.

He also said that he chose his name in homage to Pope Leo XIII, recognizing the need to renew Catholic social teaching to face today's new industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence "that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor." 

The pope, who was elected in a conclave of 133 cardinal electors on the fourth ballot May 8, met with members of the college, including non-electors, in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican.

Pope Leo told the cardinals that after his "short talk with some reflections," which the Vatican press office published, they would have "a sort of dialogue," which many of them had asked for, "to hear what advice, suggestions, proposals, concrete things, which have already been discussed in the days leading up to the conclave." Those discussions in the closed-door meeting were not published.

In the text that was released, the pope said the events of the past three weeks, beginning with Pope Francis' final days, his death and funeral, have allowed them "to see the beauty and feel the strength of this immense community, which with such affection and devotion has greeted and mourned its shepherd, accompanying him with faith and prayer at the time of his final encounter with the Lord."

"We have seen the true grandeur of the church, which is alive in the rich variety of her members in union with her one head, Christ," Pope Leo said. 

The Catholic Church is "the womb from which we were born and at the same time the flock, the field entrusted to us to protect and cultivate, to nourish with the sacraments of salvation and to make fruitful by our sowing the seed of the Word, so that, steadfast in one accord and enthusiastic in mission, she may press forward, like the Israelites in the desert, in the shadow of the cloud and in the light of God's fire," he said.

Because of that, the pope asked the cardinals to renew together their "complete commitment" to the church's post-Vatican II journey, which was detailed in Pope Francis' 2013 apostolic exhortation on the proclamation of the Gospel in today's world.

"I would like to highlight several fundamental points" from the document, he said: "the return to the primacy of Christ in proclamation; the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community; growth in collegiality and synodality; attention to the 'sensus fidei' (the people of God's sense of the faith), especially in its most authentic and inclusive forms, such as popular piety; loving care for the least and the rejected; courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities." 

"Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV" for several reasons, he said, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII, "in his historic encyclical 'Rerum Novarum' addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution."

Today, the church continues to offer "everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor," he added.

Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, said that, "beginning with St. Peter and up to myself, his unworthy successor, the pope has been a humble servant of God and of his brothers and sisters, and nothing more than this."

Many popes, and most recently Pope Francis, demonstrated this with his "complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life, his abandonment to God throughout his ministry and his serene trust at the moment of his return to the Father's house," he said.

"Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith," he said, reminding the cardinals that it is "the risen Lord, present among us, who protects and guides the church, and continues to fill her with hope."

"It is up to us to be docile listeners to his voice and faithful ministers of his plan of salvation, mindful that God loves to communicate himself, not in the roar of thunder and earthquakes, but in the 'whisper of a gentle breeze' or, as some translate it, in a 'sound of sheer silence,'" he said. 

"It is this essential and important encounter to which we must guide and accompany all the holy people of God entrusted to our care," he said.

Thanking the cardinals for their role as the pope's closest collaborators, he said their presence has proven to be "a great comfort to me in accepting a yoke clearly far beyond my own limited powers, as it would be for any of us."

God, too, "will not leave me alone in bearing its responsibility," he said, and he knew he would also be able to count on the closeness of "so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world who believe in God, love the church and support the vicar of Christ by their prayers and good works."

He concluded his remarks by embracing the hope St. Paul VI expressed at the inauguration of his Petrine ministry in 1963 and he invited them to do the same.

St. Paul prayed that hope "pass over the whole world like a great flame of faith and love kindled in all men and women of goodwill. May it shed light on paths of mutual cooperation and bless humanity abundantly, now and always, with the very strength of God, without whose help nothing is valid, nothing is holy," he said, quoting the saint.

Pope Leo: A.I. inspired name choice

Pope Leo XIV met with the College of Cardinals May 10, 2025, and explained how A.I. and other technological changes inspired his choice of papal name.

ROME (CNS) -- While it is interesting and perhaps even a point of pride that the new Pope Leo XIV was born in the United States, most of the U.S.-based cardinals who participated in the conclave that elected him said nationality was not a factor.

"I think the impact of him being an American was almost negligible in the deliberations of the conclave and surprisingly so," Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington told reporters May 9 during a news conference at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

"What surprised me was the real absence of that being a key question at all," the cardinal said. 

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, retired archbishop of Galveston-Houston, told the reporters that while the cardinals chose a pope who is a U.S. citizen, "he's really a citizen of the entire world since he has spent so much of his life, ministry, missionary work and zeal for Christ in South America," mainly in Peru.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York said, "The fact that he was born in the United States of America, boy, that's a sense of pride and gratitude for us," but the new pope is also a citizen of Peru. And he has work in the Roman Curia as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops for the past two years.

"He's a citizen of the world," Cardinal Dolan said.

"Where he comes from is now sort of a thing of the past. You know, Robert Francis Prevost is no longer around. It's now Pope Leo," the cardinal said. "He's the pontiff of the church universal. Where he came from, (that's) secondary."

The cardinals were asked to what extent could people interpret the election of Pope Leo "as a reflection of the desire of the cardinals to offer a counterweight to the global influence of President Trump."

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the retired archbishop of Washington, said, "The cardinals were quite aware of things that have occurred in the United States, statements that have been made, political actions that have been taken."

"But what the cardinals were concerned about primarily, at least from my conversations with them," Cardinal Gregory said, "was, 'Who among us can bring us together; who among us can strengthen the faith and bring the faith to places where it has grown weak, bring the faith to places where there seems to be less enthusiasm or appreciation of the common things that draw us together?'" 

Cardinal Dolan responded, "It should not startle us that we would look to Pope Leo as a bridge builder. That's what the Latin word 'pontiff' means. He's a bridge builder. Will he want to build bridges with Donald Trump? I suppose, but he would want to build bridges with the leader of every nation. So, I don't think at all that my brother cardinals would have thought of it as a conduit to any one person."

The cardinals at the news conference all mentioned the cardinals going into the conclave looking for someone who could proclaim the Gospel and strengthen the unity of the church while also continuing the approach and projects of Pope Francis.

"We are looking for someone to follow the pathway of Francis, but we are not looking for a photocopy," Cardinal McElroy said. 

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Pope Leo's hometown, told reporters that the church does not speak of replacements for a bishop or pope, but of successors for them.

"That's a very important distinction to make, and that is what we were looking for as well," Cardinal Cupich said. The cardinals asked themselves, "Who could bring forward the not only the ministry and life and tradition of Francis, but everything that preceded him, especially from that pivotal moment of life in the church (that was) the Second Vatican Council." 

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the United States, quoted the French poet Charles Peguy: "Everything begins in mysticism and ends in politics."

The conclave was the opposite, he said. In the days of preparation for the conclave, the media particularly had taken a political view of the election of the new pope.

"What I experienced was that everything begins in politics and ends in mysticism. This is what we lived" in the conclave, Cardinal Pierre said. The conclave began "in this kind of confusion" of languages, cultures and not knowing each other.

The only solution, he said, was to dialogue and listen to one another, setting aside prejudices and entering into a process of prayerful discernment. 

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, said he had known Pope Leo for 30 years; they were in Rome together in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Cardinal Tobin was superior general of the Redemptorists and Pope Leo was superior of the Augustinian friars. More recently, Cardinal Tobin served as a member of the Dicastery for Bishops, where then-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost was prefect.

Talking about the new pope's international experience, Cardinal Tobin first referred to him as "Bob" and then corrected himself, "Pope Leo."

Describing the new pope's leadership style, Cardinal Tobin said, "I don't think he's one that likes to pick fights, but he is not one to back down if the cause is just. And I guess the last thing I'd say about Bob is that he really is a listener, and then he acts."

Cardinal Tobin said that during the actual election in the Sistine Chapel, when he went up to cast his ballot as the outcome became clearer, he walked by then-Cardinal Prevost, "who had his head in his hands."

"I was praying for him, because I couldn't imagine what happens to a human being when you're facing something like that. And then when he accepted it, it was like he was made for it," the cardinal said. "All of the anguish or whatever was resolved by feeling -- I think -- that this wasn't simply his saying yes to a proposal, but that God had made something clear, and he agreed with that."
 

Question to U.S. cardinals: Did Trump influence conclave?

At a news conference at the Pontifical North American College May 9, U.S. cardinal electors were asked whether President Trump or the new pope's American citizenship had an impact on the conclave's outcome.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Where Christians are "mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied" is where the Catholic Church's "missionary outreach is most desperately needed," Pope Leo XIV said in his first homily as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

Today, "there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent, settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power or pleasure," the new pope told cardinals May 9 during Mass in the Sistine Chapel.

"This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which, as Pope Francis taught us so many times, we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the savior," he said.

The day after his election, the new pope returned to the chapel where his fellow 132 cardinals elected him pope -- the first U.S. citizen, first Peruvian citizen, first Augustinian friar and likely the first Chicago White Sox fan to become pope -- to celebrate his first Mass with the College of Cardinals.

Wearing black shoes instead of the traditional red associated with the papacy and walking into the Sistine Chapel carrying Pope Benedict XIV's papal ferula, or staff, the pope processed into the chapel.

After two women read the Mass readings in English and Spanish -- a possible nod to the new pope's U.S. and Peruvian background -- he greeted the cardinals in English, marking his first public use of the language.

"Through the ministry of Peter, you have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission," he said, "and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me as we continue as a church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the good news, to announce the Gospel."

The Mass, largely in Latin, was celebrated at a portable altar brought into the Sistine Chapel, as opposed to the fixed altar which requires the celebrant to face East, away from the congregation.

In his homily, spoken in Italian, Pope Leo said God had called him to be a "faithful administrator" of the church so that she may be "a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world."

"And this, not so much through the magnificence of her structures or the grandeur of her buildings, like the monuments among which we find ourselves, but rather through the holiness of her members," he said, standing before Michelangelo's "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel.

Reflecting on Jesus' question to the apostle Peter in St. Matthew's Gospel -- "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" -- Pope Leo said one might find two possible responses: the world's, which considers Jesus "a completely insignificant person" who becomes "irksome because of his demands for honesty and his stern moral requirements," and that of ordinary people, who see him as an "upright man, one who has courage, who speaks well and says the right things."

"Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent," he said. In these settings, "a lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society," the pope said.

And in many settings in which Jesus is appreciated, the pope said, he can be "reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman."

"This is true not only among nonbelievers but also among many baptized Christians, who thus end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism," he said. "Therefore, it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'"

"I say this first of all to myself, as the successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as bishop of Rome," he said. Referencing St. Ignatius of Antioch, he said the commitment for all who exercise authority in the church is "to move aside so that Christ may remain, to make oneself small so that he may be known and glorified, to spend oneself to the utmost so that all may have the opportunity to know and love him."

Before the Mass, video footage of the pope's first hours in office circulated online. A video released by the Vatican showed him greeting the cardinals who elected him, praying alone in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace and wearing black, not red, shoes.

After his election and presentation to the faithful May 8, a video posted online showed Pope Leo returning to the Vatican residence where he had briefly lived as a cardinal before entering the conclave that elected him pope.

Greeting people who lived in the building, he posed for selfies and gave his blessing.

A girl asked the new pope to bless and sign a book; with a smile he replied: "I need to practice the signature! That old one is no good anymore." And while signing, he asked, "Today is?" to a roar of laughs to those around him.

Pope Leo, in English, thanks cardinals for his election

Pope Leo XIV thanks the College of Cardinals for electing him as Successor of St. Peter.

WASHINGTON – Upon the news that the Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, has been elected as the 267th pope, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offered the following statement: 

“In communion with Catholics around the world, the bishops of the United States offer prayers of thanksgiving for the election of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. In my lifetime, the Church has been blessed with a series of popes each uniquely prepared for his particular moment in history yet sharing a common mission to proclaim the ageless truth of the Gospel. I rejoice in the international experience of the new Bishop of Rome who has been a student and superior in Rome, a bishop in Peru, and charged with the Dicastery for Bishops. Certainly, we rejoice that a son of this Nation has been chosen by the cardinals, but we recognize that he now belongs to all Catholics and to all people of good will. His words advocating peace, unity, and missionary activity already indicate a path forward. Trusting in the Holy Spirit, we also pray that the Holy Father, as the successor of St. Peter, will enjoy serenity in his ministry and be a watchful and wise shepherd who will confirm us in our faith and fill the world with the hope inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, the Chicago-born prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis, was elected the 267th pope May 8 and took the name Pope Leo XIV.

He is the first North American to be elected pope and, before the conclave, was the U.S. cardinal most mentioned as a potential successor of St. Peter. 

The white smoke poured from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel at 6:07 p.m. Rome time and a few minutes later the bells of St. Peter's Basilica began to ring.

About 20 minutes later the Vatican police band and two dozen members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard marched into St. Peter's Square. They soon were joined by the marching band of the Italian Carabinieri, a branch of military police, and by units of the other branches of the Italian military.

As soon as news began to spread, people from all over Rome ran to join the tens of thousands who were already in the square for the smoke watch. Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri was among them.

French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at 7:12 p.m. He told the crowd: "I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope ('Habemus papam')," saying the cardinal's name in Latin and announcing the name by which he will be called.

Ten minutes later, the new Pope Leo came out onto the balcony, smiling and waving to the crowd wearing the white papal cassock, a red mozzetta or cape and a red stole to give his first public blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world).

The crowd shouted repeatedly, "Viva il papa" or "Long live the pope" as Pope Leo's eyes appeared to tear up. 

"Peace be with you," were Pope Leo's first words to the crowd.

"My dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God's flock," he said, praying that Christ's peace would enter people's hearts, their families and "the whole earth."

The peace of the risen Lord, he said, is "a peace that is unarmed and disarming."

Signaling strong continuity with the papacy of Pope Francis, Pope Leo told the crowd that God "loves all of us unconditionally" and that the church must be open to everyone.

"We are all in God's hands," he said, so "without fear, united, hand in hand with God and with each other, let us go forward."

He thanked the cardinals who elected him, apparently on the fourth ballot of the conclave, "to be the successor of Peter and to walk with you as a united church always seeking peace, justice" and together being missionary disciples of Christ.

Telling the crowd that he was an Augustinian, he quoted St. Augustine, who said, "With you I am a Christian and for you a bishop."

"Together we must try to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges and always dialogues, that is always open to receiving everyone like this square with its arms open to everyone, everyone in need," he said.

The new bishop of Rome told the people of his diocese and of the whole Catholic Church, "We want to be a synodal church, a church that journeys, a church that seeks peace always, that always seeks charity, that wants to be close to people, especially those who are suffering."

After asking the crowd to recite the Hail Mary with him, Pope Leo gave his first solemn blessing.

Cardinals over the age of 80, who were not eligible to enter the conclave, joined the crowd in the square. Among them were Cardinals Seán P. O'Malley, the retired archbishop of Boston; Donald W. Wuerl, the retired archbishop of Washington; and Marc Ouellet, retired prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

A longtime missionary in Peru, the 69-year-old pope holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship.

La Repubblica, the major Italian daily, described him April 25 as "cosmopolitan and shy," but also said he was "appreciated by conservatives and progressives. He has global visibility in a conclave in which few (cardinals) know each other."

That visibility comes from the fact that as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops for the past two years, he was instrumental in helping Pope Francis choose bishops for many Latin-rite dioceses, he met hundreds of bishops during their "ad limina" visits to Rome and was called to assist the world's Latin-rite bishops "in all matters concerning the correct and fruitful exercise of the pastoral office entrusted to them." 

The new pope was serving as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, when Pope Francis called him to the Vatican in January 2023.

During a talk at St. Jude Parish in Chicago in August, the then-cardinal said Pope Francis nominated him "specifically because he did not want someone from the Roman Curia to take on this role. He wanted a missionary; he wanted someone from outside; he wanted someone who would come in with a different perspective."

In a March 2024 interview with Catholic News Service, he said Pope Francis' decision in 2022 to name three women as full members of the dicastery, giving them input on the selection of bishops "contributes significantly to the process of discernment in looking for who we hope are the best candidates to serve the church in episcopal ministry."

To deter attitudes of clericalism among bishops, he said, "it's important to find men who are truly interested in serving, in preaching the Gospel, not just with eloquent words, but rather with the example and witness they give."

In fact, the cardinal said, Pope Francis' "most effective and important" bulwark against clericalism was his being "a pastor who preaches by gesture."

In an interview in 2023 with Vatican News, then-Cardinal Prevost spoke about the essential leadership quality of a bishop.

"Pope Francis has spoken of four types of closeness: closeness to God, to brother bishops, to priests and to all God's people," he said. "One must not give in to the temptation to live isolated, separated in a palace, satisfied with a certain social level or a certain level within the church."

"And we must not hide behind an idea of authority that no longer makes sense today," he said. "The authority we have is to serve, to accompany priests, to be pastors and teachers."

As prefect of the dicastery then-Cardinal Prevost also served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, where nearly 40% of the world's Catholics reside.

A Chicago native, he also served as prior general of the Augustinians and spent more than two decades serving in Peru, first as an Augustinian missionary and later as bishop of Chiclayo.

Soon after coming to Rome to head the dicastery, he told Vatican News that bishops have a special mission of promoting the unity of the church.

"The lack of unity is a wound that the church suffers, a very painful one," he said in May 2023. "Divisions and polemics in the church do not help anything. We bishops especially must accelerate this movement toward unity, toward communion in the church."

In September, a television program in Peru reported on the allegations of three women who said that then-Bishop Prevost failed to act against a priest who sexually abused them as minors. The diocese strongly denied the accusation, pointing out that he personally met with the victims in April 2022, removed the priest from his parish, suspended him from ministry and conducted a local investigation that was then forwarded to the Vatican. The Vatican said there was insufficient evidence to proceed, as did the local prosecutor's office.

Pope Leo was born Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the Augustinian-run Villanova University in Pennsylvania and joined the order in 1977, making his solemn vows in 1981. He holds a degree in theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

He joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985 and largely worked in the country until 1999 when he was elected head of the Augustinians' Chicago-based province. From 2001 to 2013, he served as prior general of the worldwide order. In 2014, Pope Francis named him bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru, and the pope asked him also to be apostolic administrator of Callao, Peru, from April 2020 to May 2021.

The new pope speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese and can read Latin and German.