In his second formal public appearance since taking the helm of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV urged the world to stop war as he spoke to people from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday.
“Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!” exclaimed the first American pope, speaking to tens of thousands of people gathered underneath him in St. Peter’s Square who joyously waved flags, cheered, and gave loud applause.
In his public speech after praying to the Virgin Mary, the newly appointed pope, who was born in Chicago, did not mince words when discussing current problems. He brought up the last 80th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II, which claimed 60 million lives.
He said from the balcony, “In today’s dramatic scenario of a third world war in tatters, as repeatedly stated by Pope Francis, I also address the powerful of the world, repeating the ever-timely appeal: No more war!”
Tens of thousands of people were eager to see the modest pontiff, Robert Francis Prevost, who had spent a large portion of his life in Peru as a missionary before becoming pope, when Leo appeared.
At a secret conclave on Thursday, cardinals elected Leo as the 267th pontiff, hoping he would mend divisions within the Church, inspire confidence among the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, and tackle a number of contemporary issues plaguing the more than 2,000-year-old institution.
The pope will be formally introduced to the foreign media that travelled to Rome to cover his election on Monday, the first of many meetings and appearances on his full schedule.
On Friday, he will meet with diplomats at the Vatican. On Sunday, May 18, he will celebrate the start of his pontificate by presiding over the first mass at St. Peter’s.
Leo will have his first general audience the following week on May 21. The pope typically hosts this event once a week, and it consists of a public homily and Scripture readings.
In 2023, Francis appointed Leo a cardinal, appointing him to head the influential Dicastery of Bishops, which advises the pope on the nomination of bishops.
He acquired Peruvian citizenship and learnt Spanish during his roughly 20 years of serving in Peru on missions. He utilised Spanish in his inaugural speech on Thursday from St. Peter’s Basilica.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
