Miami archbishop says new ‘global’ pope needs to ‘hold back the barbarians’

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – South Florida’s Catholic assemblage is celebrating the historical enactment of the archetypal American pope, with Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski praising Pope Leo XIV not lone arsenic a “global citizen” shaped by missionary enactment successful Peru, but besides arsenic a imaginable motivation unit beardown capable to “hold backmost the barbarians” successful a divided world.

Wenski spoke with Local 10’s Christina Vazquez Wednesday day from the Archdiocese of Miami headquarters, praising the recently elected Pope Leo XIV for his planetary acquisition and committedness to unity.

Because of the magnitude of clip helium spent arsenic a missionary successful Peru, Wenski described him to Vazquez much arsenic a “global citizen.”

He said the caller pope’s American inheritance could power dialog with U.S. leaders, particularly connected divisive issues similar immigration.

“The Holy Father volition surely beryllium capable to talk the connection of this existent medication and possibly bash truthful successful a precise convincing way,” Wenski said. “Speaking from an American discourse tin archer Americans they person thing to fearfulness from the other, from the stranger, due to the fact that Jesus tells america that erstwhile we invited the stranger, we invited him.”

The archbishop added, “The migrant whitethorn beryllium a stranger, but is inactive a member and sister successful Christ and should beryllium embraced arsenic such.”

Wenski besides touched connected the value of the pope choosing the sanction Leo XIV, hinting astatine deeper meaning tied to religion past and what whitethorn prevarication up for the Vatican nether caller leadership.

“Pope Leo the Great is the 1 that stopped Attila the Hun erstwhile helium was astir to sack Rome, truthful helium held backmost the barbarians — and possibly successful this satellite today, we request idiosyncratic to clasp backmost the barbarians arsenic well,” Wenski said.

He besides referenced Leo XIII, known for establishing Catholic societal teaching.

“That outlined the rights of moving people, the close to organize, the close of unions, the thought of justness successful the world,” Wenski said. “The information that radical should beryllium subjects and not objects of people’s powerfulness oregon manipulation — I deliberation the sanction prime says a batch astir who this pope volition be.”

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