“Habemus Papam!”
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The world held its breath when Cardinal Dominique Mamberti entered the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8, 2025, and said the words that 1.4 billion Catholics had been waiting for:
“Dominum Robertum Franciscum Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Prevost.”
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected the new Pope. He took the name Leo XIV:
“La pace sia con tutti voi!”
One day after his election, Leo XIV celebrated his first Holy Mass as the new pontiff in the Sistine Chapel. In his sermon, he focused on Christ and emphasized the importance of evangelization.
The next day, he met with the cardinals and thanked them for their service and support.
On Sunday, three days after his election, Pope Leo XIV once again appeared before the faithful in St. Peter’s Square. He sang the Regina Coeli from the loggia:
“Today brothers and sisters, I therefore have the joy of praying with you and all the People of God for vocations, especially those to the priesthood and consecrated life. The Church has such a great need for them! It is important that young men and women on their vocational journey find acceptance, listening and encouragement in their communities, and that they can look up to credible models of generous dedication to God and to their brothers and sisters.”
In the afternoon, Pope Leo removed the seal on the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, which was placed there after the death of Pope Francis.
Pope Leo was officially inaugurated on May 18. At the ceremony, he was presented with the pallium and the fisherman’s ring:
“I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family. Love and unity: these are the two dimensions of the mission entrusted to Peter by Jesus.”
On May 25th, Pope Leo officially took possession of the Lateran Basilica. It is the highest-ranking church and the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Rome.
He also visited the other papal basilicas of Saint Mary Major and St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.
In the last week of May, Pope Leo took part in the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly:
“For this reason, with a heart filled with gratitude and hope, I would remind all married couples that marriage is not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman: a love that is total, faithful and fruitful. This love makes you one flesh and enables you, in the image of God, to bestow the gift of life.”
On June 8th, the Church celebrates Pentecost. This not only marks the end of Easter, but also the end of the first month with Pope Leo XIV.
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Adapted by Jacob Stein
Produced by Rudolf Gehrig; Camera by CTV; Video Edited by Ilaria Chimenti; Special thanks & Credits to Vatican Media
