Welcome Pope Leo XIV!!

Our Pope Francis I passed away into eternity on the Monday after Easter 2025.  Since then, we have prayed for his soul, and prayed for a new leader for our Church.  Today, the Cardinals have chosen that new leader.  

 
Habemus Papem!!  We have a Pope!

The announcement came soon after 12 pm EST (6 pm Rome time) on 8 May 2025.   The doors opened at 1:15 pm EST (7:15 Rome time).  Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost was announced as Pope Leo XIV by Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the proto-deacon of the College of Cardinals.   

 
Our new Pope is the first American to serve as Pope.  Pope Leo was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Villanova University, a Masters of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union and a Doctorate of Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.  He joined the Augustinian Order in 1977 and was ordained a priest in 1982.  He served as an Augustinian missionary in Peru for nearly fourteen years and held leadership positions within the Augustinian Order, including as Prior General.   In 2015, Pope Francis I named him as Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru.  Pope Francis later appointed him to a succession of leadership positions within the Vatican, including in 2023 as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.  Pope Francis elevated him to become Cardinal that same year.

 
The newest Pope joins a leadership tradition that dates back to St. Peter when Jesus said to him “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19).

 
The newest Pope joins a leadership continuum that includes such great saints as Peter, Gregory the Great, Pius X, John XXIII, John Paul II, Pius V, and Leo the Great.  He joins a leadership continuum that derives its authority from Jesus Christ himself.  Let us pray that our newest Pope will worthily fulfill these duties as his predecessors did.  

 
Our new Pope is the 14th Pope named Leo.  Pope Leo the Great was an ardent defender of the Catholic faith, combating heresies such as Pelagianism which erroneously believed that we can perfect ourselves without God’s grace and assistance, and Manichaeism which denied the goodness of Creation and the human body.  The most recent Pope Leo (Leo XIII) was a fervent devotee of the Holy Rosary, critic of socialism and advocate for workers and the poor. He also authored the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.  Let us pray that inspired by his Pope Leo predecessors our new Pope will spread devotion to the Rosary, vigorously defend the true authentic traditional teachings of the Church and be a strong voice for the poor.

 
The newest Pope was elected on the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe in World War Two.  Let us pray that this newest Pope will lead the world in the pursuit of peace and be successful in efforts to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and prevent future wars, especially world wars.  

 
The Pope is entrusted with stewardship and leadership of the faith.  Let us pray that guided by the Holy Spirit our new Pope will be faithful in preserving the faith and the Sacred Teachings of the Church.

 
Over the millennia, Popes have often been called upon to witness courageously to the Truth and defend the Church.  Let us pray that our new Pope will be courageous and effective in defending the Church from those who are seeking to destroy the Church from within and from without and purge the Church of corrupting influences and ideologies.  

 
Today is a day to celebrate!  Today is to be grateful to Our God for our Church and the Papacy which has stood the test of time and innumerable trials.  

 
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. LORD, grant salvation!  LORD, grant good fortune!”  (Psalm 118:24-25)