On May 8th, from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti announced to the world the election of the 267th pope: Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States. And it’s already been one month since that moment.
Emotion filled St. Peter’s Square, as thousands of people arrived following the white smoke's appearance. After the Habemus Papam, the most anticipated moment came next. The crowd waited to hear the name of the new pontiff for the first time.
Then, Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the balcony to greet the thousands of faithful who were waiting eagerly for this moment.
It was at that very moment that euphoria broke out. The new Pope was, for the first time in history, an American and an Augustinian.
FR. JOSEPH FARRELL, General Assistant for North America
Such joy that there was this, this gasp that took my breath away. And then tears of joy. I was surrounded by strangers, crying tears of joy for my brother.
And even those who couldn’t be in Rome celebrated from afar with the same enthusiasm.
JOHN SIMPSON
I was at home and they announced that he was American so right away everybody on my neighborhood got too excited and then we start talking about he went to the Villanova, my sister went to Villanova, my nieces went to Villanova… and then we talk about the food! Chicago Hotdog, Chicago pizza… it's wonderful.
JULIA EVANGELISTA
Honestly, I was just sitting and watching him come out and greet everyone on the day he was elected. The smoke came out and we were waiting in anticipation. It was amazing to see, I never thought a Pope from the United States would be elected.
Then came his “firsts”: his first signature on a girl’s Bible and his first trip outside the Vatican to the Shrine of Our Mother of Good Counsel, run by the Augustinians. He also visited the tomb of his predecessor, Pope Francis.
On the political front, one of his most repeated messages has been peace. He has already spoken with both Zelensky and Putin separately. At one point, the Holy See was even considered as a possible location for peace talks, although Russia later ruled it out.
There were two other significant moments from Pope Leo's first month. On May 18th, there was the Mass to inaugurate his pontificate. Pope Leo XIV received the papal insignia: the pallium and the Fisherman’s Ring. The new Pope couldn’t hold back his emotions.
Then on May 26th, he officially took possession of St. John Lateran Basilica, which is the Cathedral and Mother Church of Rome.
There is still much to see. The new Pope, as far as we know, has not yet made any difficult or controversial decisions. But what has become clear is that he doesn’t want to face the challenges alone. This is what he told the workers of the Secretariat of State:
It comforts me to know that I am not alone […]. It’s not in the written remarks, but I say it with complete sincerity: in these few weeks, it has become clear that the pope cannot move forward alone, and that it is necessary—truly necessary—to count on the collaboration of many within the Holy See.
And in his meeting with the members of the Curia, he didn’t recite a list of past mistakes. Instead, he reminded them of their role and responsibilities.
POPE LEO XIV
Popes come and go, but the Curia remains. This is true in every particular Church, for the diocesan curias. And it also holds for the Curia of the Bishop of Rome. The Curia is the institution that preserves and transmits the historical memory of a Church, and of the ministry of its bishops.
However, the new Pope has also had no hesitation in expressing his need to remain surrounded by the affection of his religious congregation. He has made many visits to the Augustinian curia, just steps from the Vatican, where he has shared more personal, familial moments.
BAM
Trans. CRT
