The world needs His light” (referring to Jesus Christ), Pope Leo XIV declared in his inaugural public address as Pontiff, urging a reawakening of faith, harmony, and fraternity.
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Invoking the memory of Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday, Pope Leo XIV, a former Cardinal and current prevost of the Catholic Church, spoke from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. In addition, Pope Leo XIV made inclusion, conversation, and bridge-building hallmarks of his papacy.
Pope Francis once blessed Rome, and his voice was weak but powerful; let us remember him in our hearts, he urged. The pope who, on that Easter morning, blessed the entire globe in addition to Rome.
God loves us, and I’d like to continue rewarding you with that. The love of God extends to all individual. The forces of evil will fail. God has everything under his control. So, let us go forth fearlessly as a united front, working side by side with God and each other.
As followers of Christ, we follow in his footsteps. Ignite the world with His light. He is indispensable to humanity because he connects us to God and His infinite love. May we unite as one people, forever at peace, by constructing bridges between us through conversation and meeting.
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“Much obliged, Pope Francis. Together with you, as one united Church, I will seek peace and justice at all times; I will collaborate with all men and women who fearlessly follow Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Gospel and being genuine missionaries of hope; and I will be eternally grateful to the brother cardinals who have elected me to be Peter’s successor.
Saint Augustine once said, “With you, I am a Christian; for you, I am a bishop,” and those words have stuck with me ever since. With that attitude, may we all go to the place God has planned for us as a family.
My heartfelt greetings go out to the Church. We should make it our purpose to be a welcoming, empathetic, and bridge-building church that welcomes everybody with open arms. Our presence should be characterized by love-based charity and communion.
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“I would also like to extend a Spanish greeting to you, and in particular to my dear brethren from my previous diocese in Peru—a faithful people who were by my side every step of the way, who believed as I did, and who contributed to the growth of a strong and committed Church.”
“Rome, Italy, and the world’s faithful, we must be a synodal church—one that walks together, seeks peace, charity, and draws near to those who suffer.”