For many of us, the white smoke on 8th May 2025 came as a great surprise. Many had predicted that this conclave would be a lengthy one. Yet, it was not to be. So much so, in fact, that it seemed the whole world suddenly tuned in to see what was unfolding in St Peter’s Square. Then, the doors of the loggia opened, and we heard the long-awaited words: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam.”
The joy that followed was truly palpable. The crowd’s excitement subsided as all awaited the name of the new Pope – Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. His was not a name frequently mentioned, certainly not alongside those more favoured by journalists and commentators. Then came the name he had chosen: Leo XIV.
As one might expect, he appeared deeply moved. And who wouldn’t be, upon discovering that God had called them to be a father to all?
Then the microphone was passed to him, and his first words to the multitude gathered in the square were: “Peace be with you all!” Prophetic words indeed, not only because of the troubling times in which we live, when peace seems so elusive, but above all because these were the very words spoken by the Master, Jesus, when he first appeared to his apostles after his resurrection. This brief greeting was the message, and perhaps more profoundly, the prayer with which the new Pope wished to begin: a prayer for peace in our families, among nations, and throughout the world.
To encourage his children, the Pope continued: “God loves us all… evil shall not prevail!” With these words, he urged us not to lose heart, so that as a people of faith we might continue to bring the light of the Lord to the world, to bear witness to his victorious peace.
Pope Leo XIV concluded his message with an invitation to join him in becoming builders of bridges. In a world seemingly overwhelmed by division and conflict, may we become signs of the true peace that only the Lord God can bestow.
