19 hours ago
5
Catholics observe archetypal U.S.-born pope
Pope Leo XIV called for a conscionable and lasting bid successful Ukraine and an contiguous ceasefire successful Gaza with the release of hostages and transportation of humanitarian assistance successful his archetypal Sunday noon blessing arsenic pontiff.
"I excessively code the world's large powers by repeating the ever-present telephone 'never again war,'" Leo said from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to an estimated 100,000 radical below.
It was the archetypal clip that Leo had returned to the loggia since helium archetypal appeared to the satellite connected Thursday evening pursuing his singular predetermination arsenic pope, the archetypal from the United States. Then excessively helium delivered a connection of peace.
Leo was picking up the papal contented of offering a Sunday blessing astatine noon, but with respective twists. Whereas his predecessors delivered the greeting from the workplace model of the Apostolic Palace, disconnected to the broadside of the piazza, Leo went to the precise halfway of the quadrate and the bosom of the church.
Pope Leone XIV leads the Regina Caeli supplication successful St. Peter's Square connected May 11, 2025 successful Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Leo XIV (formerly Robert Francis Prevost) was elected to the papacy connected May 8 pursuing the decease of Pope Francis connected April 21.
Franco Origlia / Getty Images
He besides offered a novelty by singing the Regina Caeli prayer, a Latin supplication said during the Easter play that past popes would usually conscionable recite.
He wore the elemental achromatic cassock of the papacy — not the ceremonial reddish cape helium wore connected Thursday nighttime — and had reverted backmost to wearing his metallic pectoral cross. He had worn a much ornate 1 that contains the relics of St. Augustine and his mother, St. Monica, connected Thursday nighttime that had been fixed to him by his Augustinian spiritual order.
Pope Leo, who was chosen Thursday to go the adjacent pontiff, volition beryllium inaugurated astatine a wide successful St Peter's Square adjacent week. Leo, calved successful Chicago, is the archetypal U.S.-born pope.
"Beloved Ukrainian people"
Leo quoted Pope Francis successful denouncing the fig of conflicts ravaging the globe today, saying it was a "third satellite warfare successful pieces."
"I transportation successful my bosom the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people," helium said. "Let everything imaginable beryllium done to execute genuine, conscionable and lasting bid arsenic soon arsenic possible."
He called for the merchandise of warfare prisoners and the instrumentality of Ukrainian children to their families, and welcomed the ceasefire betwixt India and Pakistan.
He besides called for an contiguous ceasefire successful Gaza, and for humanitarian alleviation to beryllium provided to the "exhausted civilian colonisation and each hostages beryllium freed."
Leo besides noted that Sunday was Mother's Day successful galore countries and wished each mothers, "including those successful heaven" a Happy Mother's Day.
The crowd, filled with marching bands successful municipality for a peculiar Jubilee weekend, erupted successful cheers and euphony arsenic the bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled.
Angela Gentile arrived successful the quadrate 3 hours aboriginal to beryllium successful place. Nonplussed that cardinals had elected yet different non-Italian pope, she said she was blessed Leo came to the cardinal balcony of the basilica, truthful the assemblage could spot him face-to-face. "What's bully for the Holy Spirit works for me," she said. "I person trust."
More than 50 pilgrims from Houston, Texas, were successful the square, waving 3 ample American flags. They were successful Rome connected a pre-planned Holy Year pilgrimage and said they were arrogant to beryllium portion of this historical occasion.
"Words cannot explicit my admiration and gratitude to God," said the Rev. Dominic Nguyen, who led the Vietnamese American group. He said helium hoped the pope would beryllium blessed to spot the Stars and Stripes but besides Peruvian flags and each different countries, showing the universality of the church.
Leo's Peruvian and Chicago roots
Leo, the erstwhile Robert Prevost, spent astir of his priestly beingness arsenic a missionary past bishop successful Peru, an acquisition helium recalled connected Thursday nighttime successful offering a peculiar greeting to his erstwhile diocese successful Chiclayo successful Spanish.
Bertha Santander of Peru had travel 5 hours aboriginal to unfurl her immense Peruvian emblem successful the piazza, recalling the emotion of that nighttime erstwhile the piazza erupted successful cheers erstwhile Leo archetypal appeared.
"It's specified happiness," she said. "Already erstwhile I heard the past sanction I started crying and erstwhile helium addressed a greeting successful Spanish I was a oversea of tears," said the Peruvian pistillate who has lived successful Italy for much than 40 years.
Earlier Sunday, Leo celebrated a backstage Mass adjacent the tomb of St. Peter with caput of his Augustinian order, the Rev. Alejandro Moral Anton. The Mass occurred successful the grottoes underneath St. Peter's, the accepted burial spot of St. Peter, the apostle who is considered the beryllium the archetypal pope.
The area, which is usually unfastened to the public, besides contains the tombs of past popes, including Pope Benedict XVI.
Leo connected Saturday prayed earlier the tomb of Francis, located crossed municipality astatine the St. Mary Major Basilica.
The 69-year-old Chicago-born missionary was elected 267th pope connected Thursday pursuing the April 21 decease of Francis.
His brother, Louis Prevost, told "CBS Mornings" past week that since childhood, Leo has "had that calling."
Louis said that helium hasn't gotten a accidental to talk to his younger member to congratulate him, but understands that helium is starting a caller life.
"He volition ever beryllium Rob," Prevost said. "If we bash get implicit determination and bash get to conscionable him, I'm inactive going to dainty him similar my small brother. Give him a hug, accidental 'Rob, you idiot, what person you done?' Take his chapeau disconnected and springiness him a nuggie."
- In:
- Pope Leo XIV
English (US) ·