Catholic News
- Pope Leo XIV: the first American Pontiff! (CWN)
Cardinal Robert Prevost, the American-born missionary who had served for years in Peru before being named prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, has been elected as Roman Pontiff, choosing the name Pope Leo XIV. - The words of Pope Leo's 1st Urbi et Orbi blessing (Vatican Press Office)
On May 9, the Holy See Press Office published an English translation of the words of Pope Leo XIV’s first blessing Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world), delivered in Italian and Spanish the previous day (video). “Peace be with you all! 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 began. “I too would like this greeting of peace to enter into your heart, to reach your families, all people, wherever they may be, all peoples, all the earth. Peace be with you!” He concluded: To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, of all the world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church on the move, a Church that always strives for peace, that always strives for charity, that always strives to be close, especially to those who suffer. Today is the day of the Supplica to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, to stay close, to help us with her intercession and her love. So, I would like to pray with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for all the Church, for peace in the world, and let us ask Mary, our Mother, for this special grace. Hail Mary ... - Augustinians offer filial reverence to confrère, Pope Leo (Order of St. Augustine)
Father Pasquale di Lernia, secretary general of the Order of St. Augustine, offered filial reverence to Pope Leo, a member of the order. “In a spirit of filial reverence, interpreting the sentiments of the brothers and sisters of the Order of Saint Augustine,” Father di Lernia offered the new Pope “warmest and affectionate good wishes, invoking from the Lord abundant graces upon him and his Magisterium.” After thanking the Pope “for the fatherhood and ardor with which he guided the Order as Prior General for 12 years (from 2001 to 2013),” Father di Lernia concluded: May the Virgin Mary, venerated by us today with the sweet title “of Divine Grace,” the Holy Father Augustine, Saint Monica and all the saints and blessed of the Order, guard and support his ministry as the successor of the Apostle Peter and encourage the Church to walk together in faith and with courage. Most Holy Father, bless us! - US bishops welcome Pope Leo XIV (USCCB)
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that the bishops of the US are offering prayers of thanksgiving for Pope Leo’s election. “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,” Archbishop Broglio said. “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.” He added: 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. - President Trump, former presidents, other officials congratulate Pope Leo (BBC)
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and former presidents reacted to the election of the first US-born Pope. “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope,” President Trump wrote on social media. “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!” Vance tweeted: Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election! I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him! - Vatican spokesman reflects on papal election and abandoning oneself to Christ (Vatican News)
The editorial director of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication has published an editorial in which he thanked Pope Leo XIV “for accepting. Thank you for saying ‘yes’ and for abandoning yourself to the One who guides the Church.” “Today, it is the world that is in the midst of a storm—shaken by war and violence,” said Andrea Tornielli. “Let us pray for peace. Let us pray with Peter and for Peter. And, confirmed by him in the faith, let us also learn to abandon ourselves to the One who reigns from the wood of the Cross, bearing on Himself the wounds of humanity.” - Papal preacher: Popes should safeguard faith while allowing it to 'breathe and grow' (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
In an article published after the papal election, the Preacher of the Papal Household reflected at length on the “overcoming of some ritual and moral forms typical of Judaism,” as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. This change “required a long and tortuous path, during which the apostles learned to surrender, step by step, to the inclusive force of the Holy Spirit poured out by the Risen One in their hearts,” said Father Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap. Father Pasolini called on the Church “to approach the men and women of her time with intelligence, sensitivity and love.” He concluded: The community of believers has need for pastors capable of this sincere and courageous involvement, and in particular expects from the successors of Peter a living sign of this openness that safeguards the faith while allowing it to breathe and grow over time. - Vatican newspaper editor ponders St. Peter's running to the tomb (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
In the special edition of the Vatican newspaper that followed the papal election, the editor-in-chief, Andrea Monda, wrote a front-page editorial, “La corsa di Pietro” [The race of Peter], on St. Peter’s running to the tomb on Easter Sunday morning. Christian life, said Monda, is like a race in which the baton of Christ’s love is handed on from one person to another. On Easter, “Peter arrives behind, John arrives first ... the mystic John, author of the fourth Gospel, a spiritual and theological masterpiece. Yet Jesus entrusted the care of the Church, of that relay, not to the fast John, but to Peter, who often tends to stumble.” Monda concluded with a quotation from a “brilliant English writer” whom he does not name (the quotation is from G.K. Chesterton’s Heretics): All the empires and the kingdoms have failed, because of this inherent and continual weakness, that they were founded by strong men and upon strong men. But this one thing, the historic Christian Church, was founded on a weak man, and for that reason it is indestructible. For no chain is stronger than its weakest link. - Villanova, Catholic Theological Union welcome election of alumnus as Pope (CWN)
Villanova University, from which the future Pope Leo graduated as a mathematics major in 1977, welcomed his election as Pope. - John Prevost: brother is 'middle of the road,' will follow in Pope Francis's footsteps (New York Times)
John Prevost, one of Pope Leo’s two brothers, spoke with The New York Times about his brother’s election as Pope. Prevost, who typically speaks with his brother nightly, said his brother told him before the conclave, “No way, not going to happen.” Prevost described his brother as “middle of the road” but not afraid to speak his mind. “I know he’s not happy with what’s going on with immigration,” and he “has great, great desire to help the downtrodden and the disenfranchised, the people who are ignored.” Prevost added: The best way I could describe him right now is that he will be following in Francis’ footsteps. They were very good friends. They knew each other before he was pope, before my brother even was bishop. - Louis Prevost describes election of brother as 'just mind-blowing' (Gulf Coast News)
Louis Prevost, one of the Pope’s two brothers, reacted to the election of his brother as Pope. Prevost, who lives in southwestern Florida, told Gulf Coast News: Shocking. Surprising. Exciting. I’m almost speechless. It’s just mind-blowing that my brother was elected pope today. It’s incredible, When the cardinal came out and started to read his name as soon as he went ‘Ro,’ I knew, you know, he was going to say, ‘Roberto’, and he did,” he said. “And I just freaked out ...’ - Conclave's 1st day ends with black smoke (CWN)
Following the morning Mass for the election of the Roman Pontiff, the conclave to elect the 267th pope began on the afternoon of May 7, with the procession of the 133 cardinal electors from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel and the swearing of the oath of secrecy (booklet, video). - Conclave, May 8: morning ballots conclude with no election of Pope (Vatican News)
The appearance of black smoke over the Sistine Chapel at 11:50 AM (5:50 AM Eastern time) on May 8 indicated that the cardinal electors had not chosen a new Pope during the second and third rounds of voting. The fourth and fifth ballots are scheduled for later in the day. - Conclave schedule, day 2 (May 8) (CWN)
Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See Press Office, has announced the following schedule for the conclave on Thursday, May 8, the conclave’s second day: - Ethics should be at the core of AI innovation, Vatican diplomat says at UN (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a UN meeting on artificial intelligence, a leading Vatican diplomat said that “ethical considerations” should “remain at the core of the development and deployment of AI.” “Artificial Intelligence is an extraordinary technological achievement that also poses many risks,” Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said on May 6. “For this reason, the international community has an important responsibility to regulate the use of AI in its many forms.” He added: A healthy policy on AI requires that technological innovations be placed within the larger project of seeking the common good. In this sense, the Holy See considers it crucial to ensure that the development and use of AI always remain at the service of men and women, promoting fraternity and preserving critical thinking and the capacity for discernment. - Cardinal Re, at Mass for election of Roman Pontiff, emphasizes Church's unity in fidelity to the Gospel (CWN)
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated the Mass for the election of the Roman Pontiff in St. Peter’s Basilica on the morning of May 7 (booklet, video). The Mass took place hours before the 133 cardinal electors were scheduled to enter the conclave that will elect the 267th pope. - Guam archbishop, removed in 2019, claims innocence (Pacific Daily News)
Archbishop Anthony Apuron, who was removed from his post as Archbishop of Agana in 2019 after a Vatican tribunal found him guilty of sexual abuse, has broken his silence and insisted on his innocence. In a video message, the archbishop said that his innocence was proven by the fact that plaintiffs in sex-abuse lawsuits against him had moved to dismiss their case. A lawyer for the plaintiffs challenged that conclusion, saying that his clients had chosen to settle their case after years of delay, but still maintained that they had suffered abuse. Although the Vatican had removed him from office and ordered him to live outside Guam, Archbishop Apuron argued: ““The canonical process did not result in my laicization. No priest or bishop who has been found guilty of these crimes has remained a priest or bishop as I have. This indicates my innocence.” - Irish government discloses €38 million in support for UN Population Fund (Oireachtas)
The Irish government sent nearly €38 million ($42 million) to the UN Population Fund between 2019 and 2023, a parliamentary query has revealed. Ellis Mulroy of the Pro Life Campaign decried the expenditure of government funds, saying: “Funding given to groups like the UNFPA is not legitimate foreign aid. Rather, it’s an ideological abuse of Irish taxpayers’ money, done in our name but without our consent. - Prelate decries treatment of Africa 'as a little child in a cradle' (Fides)
Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, the secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization, deplored popular attitudes of condescension toward Africa in a May 76 to a conference at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. “Africa is often seen as a little child in a cradle,” the Nigerian archbishop said. “They say, ‘Please go and calm the child so she does not disturb the adults who are talking.’” He went on to charge: “Unfortunately, in the political world, Africa is still only either a mine from which minerals are extracted for one’s own production or a deposit for one’s own waste.” - Canada: arson against Catholic churches continues; arrests are rare (MacDonald Laurier Institute)
Arson attacks on Catholic churches and schools increased by more than 100% after reports began to circulate in 2021 that children were buried in mass graves at the former “residential schools.” A report from the MacDonald Laurier Institute finds that the arson campaign has continued, although no mass graves have been detected. Only 4% of the incidents of arson have resulted in arrests. - More...