The Bishop of Portsmouth welcomes the election of Pope Leo XIV
What joyful news! On behalf of all the clergy and laity of the Diocese of Portsmouth, I am absolutely delighted to welcome our new holy father, Pope Leo XIV. We are profoundly grateful to God for the gift of this great and holy man to the Church to lead us as 267th Successor of St. Peter. This is a moment of great joy and hope for all of us in our Diocese, in England and Wales, and indeed across the world. We pray for him and express to him our deep loyalty and fidelity.
The appointment of any new Pope is a momentous occasion in the 2000-year history of our Church and the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first US Pope, is similarly historic.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, is the former head of the Augustinian order. At the age of 27 he was sent by the Order to Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University (Angelicum). He received priestly ordination on 19 June 1982. He received his licentiate in 1984 and was then sent to work in the mission of Chulucanas, in Piura, Peru (1985-1986). On 30 January 2023 Pope Francis appointed him as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
He was created and proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis in the Consistory of 30 September 2023.
As he addressed the world from the loggia of St Peter’s Basilica on Thursday, Pope Leo XIV’s first words were: ‘Peace be with you.’
May the Holy Spirit inspire Pope Leo with all the spiritual gifts needed for the work of new evangelisation and grant him the personal health and strength for the challenges ahead. God bless our Pope!
Mary Immaculate – pray for him
St. Peter – pray for him
St. Edmund of Abingdon – pray for him.
In Corde Iesu
Bishop Philip Egan
Bishop of Portsmouth
The Archbishop of Southwark welcomes the election of Pope Leo XIV
The Archbishop of Birmingham welcomes the election of Pope Leo XIV
