Cardinal Prevost is the new Pope and will be called Leo XIVThe priorities set by the cardinals to Pope Leo XIVWith a firm voice but with some furtive tears on his face. This is how Leo XIV, until now Cardinal Prevost, introduced himself to the world. His first words were dedicated to peace: "Peace be with you all," said the new Pope in his opening words, after the applause of the crowd of faithful in St. Peter's Square, as he stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter's Square.
A first appeal for peace
"Dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for the flock of God. I would also like this greeting of peace to reach your hearts, to reach your families, to reach all people, wherever they are, to reach all peoples, to reach the whole earth. Peace be with you.
A call to peace with which the new Pope has also taken up the gauntlet of his predecessor, who, in his last appearance in lifeasked for peace.
In this sense, the new pontiff wanted to "continue" with the Easter blessing of Pope Francis, "we keep in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis, who blessed Rome. The Pope who blessed Rome and also gave his blessing to the whole world on Easter morning," recalled the Pope, who emphasized God's love and how "God loves everyone, and evil will not prevail. We are all in God's hands".
Courage in the mission
The new Pope has called for fearless apostolic work on the part of Catholics to respond to a darkened world: "Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and with each other, let us go forward. Let us be disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs his Light. Humanity needs Him, as the bridge to be reached by God, by His love. Help us also to build bridges, with dialogue, with encounter, uniting us all to be one people".
He who has been, until his election as head of the universal Church, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, thanked his brother "cardinals who have elected me to be the successor of Peter, and to walk together with you as a united Church, always seeking peace, justice, always seeking to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel and to be missionaries". Nor did he forget his Augustinian spirit, recalling some words of the saint of Hippo when he was proclaimed bishop: "I am a son of St. Augustine, an Augustinian, who said: with you I am a Christian, and for you, a bishop".
Words in Spanish for the Diocese of Chiclayo
The new Pope also wanted to give a nod to his "beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru", which he addressed in Spanish and not in Italian to recall "a faithful people who have accompanied their bishop, shared their faith, and have given so much, so much, to continue to be the faithful church of Jesus Christ".
The new Pope made clear his intention to continue along the path of synodality, emphasized in the previous pontificate, and placed himself under the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary: "Mary wants to walk with us always, to be close to us, to help us with her intercession and her love. Now 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. Let us ask for this special grace from Mary, our Mother".
