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May 9, 2025On Friday, May 9, the day after the election of Pope Leo XIV, Masses in all the churches of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia were celebrated with special prayer intentions “for the Pope” and his ministry.
Bishop Paolo Martinelli presided over the evening Mass at St. Joseph’s Parish in Abu Dhabi, which was attended by many faithful and featured special hymns and songs centered on the figure of St. Peter and Christ the Good Shepherd.
In his homily (full text), Bishop Paolo highlighted the message of peace that emerged from the very first words spoken by the new Pope: “Peace be with you.” He also highlighted the particular background of the new Pontiff as a “son of migrants,” as one of the reasons “we feel especially close to him.”
Finally, Bishop Paolo highlighted the special message conveyed by the Pope’s own motto: “In the one Jesus, we are all one”.
“This beautiful expression” the bishop said “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: ‘One body and one spirit; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.’”