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May 9, 2025“You are Peter and on this rock I will found my Church”.
Dear brothers and sisters,
These are the words that Jesus addressed to Peter at the Caesarea Philippi, after Peter professed his faith in Christ as the Son of the living God. Peter recognized Jesus and now Jesus recognizes Peter as the prince of the apostles, the head of the Church that would be born through the mystery of Easter and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This passage of the Gospel leads us into today’s joy. After days of mourning the death of our beloved Pope Francis, the Lord has given us a new successor to the Apostle Peter: Robert Francis Prevost, who has taken the name Leo XIV.
Last night we were all moved when we saw him appear on the screen and address his first words to the People of God.
He began by greeting the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square with the words of the Risen Christ: “Peace be with you.”
He said: “The peace of Christ is a peace that is disarmed and disarming, humble and persevering.”
Dear brothers and sisters, this is a key message of the new Pope: peace. And we are called to be peacemakers.
Following in the footsteps of his beloved predecessor, Pope Francis, he proclaimed God’s peace, love, and mercy for all people.
Pope Leo is the son of migrants — and that’s one of the reasons we feel especially close to him. Though he was born in Chicago, he has Italian, French, and Spanish roots. He belongs to the order of Saint Augustine, one of the great Fathers and Doctors of the Church.
He spent many years as a missionary in Peru, in Latin America, where he also served as bishop of a diocese. Then Pope Francis called him to Rome to lead one of the most important dicasteries in the Vatican.
Finally, the Cardinals gathered in conclave elected him as the successor of St Peter. Together with the prince of the apostles, he also says to Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
He professes the Christian faith that unites us all. For this reason Jesus calls him the rock on which the Church can rely. In fact, the Church is built not as a human organization, but upon the rock of Peter’s faith.
This morning, during the homily at the Mass in the Sistine Chapel following the conclave, Pope Leo said that we are called to bring Jesus to others and announce him. We must in a sense set aside so that Jesus may shine through; we are called to be signs of His presence. This is the path of witness that we, too, are called to follow in this part of the world.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us renew our obedience to Christ through the new Successor of the apostle Peter and assure him of our prayers.
Finally, as you know, every bishop has an episcopal motto and so does the bishop of Rome. Pope Leo's motto is a phrase from Saint Augustine: In Illo unum uno, which means “In the one Jesus, we are all one”. This beautiful expression reminds us that, although we are many and different, we Christians are united in Christ Jesus, as Saint Paul himself wrote in the letter to the Ephesians: “To us is given the bond of peace: one body and one spirit; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.”
With this motto, Pope Leo reminds us of the value of unity among all believers in Christ. Saint Peter and his successors throughout history are called to be signs of unity for the entire Church, spread across the world.
Finally, Pope Leo concluded his greeting yesterday evening before giving the “Urbi et orbi” blessing by recalling the tenderness of the mother of God, Mary.
She walks with us, she wants to be close to us and helps us with her intercession.
To Mary, Our Lady of Arabia, we entrust the new Pope, Leo XIV