During the first week of October, Pope Leo XIV revived a tradition that had been lost for years: his witness of the oath-taking ceremony of the Swiss Guard, the small army that protects the pope.
The last pope to attend was Pope Paul VI, and a pontiff’s presence makes sense. After all, what these new recruits swear is, in this case, to defend Pope Leo XIV—even to the death, if necessary. And so the ceremony began.
There were 27 new soldiers who joined the 135 members of the Pope’s personal guard.
Take note: on October 9, the first magisterial document of Pope Leo XIV was made public—or rather, a document he inherited from his predecessor, Pope Francis. Pope Leo made it his own, by adding a few citations and reflections
Dilexit te is a moderate, but firm call to act against poverty. It also emphasizes promoting greater interaction between hierarchy and laity, people and institution, experts and everyday believers.
Additionally, October is the month dedicated to the rosary. For this reason, Pope Leo called for a rosary with thousands of faithful in St. Peter’s Square to pray for peace.
There was a special guest on this occasion: Our Lady of Fatima. The original image had been brought from its shrine in Portugal to the Vatican.
When it ended, this happened: an moment that moved all those present.
As if that wasn't enough, October 19 saw the second canonization carried out by Pope Leo XIV. This time, seven new blesseds were added to the catalog of saints.
Among them, two Venezuelans: José Gregorio Hernández and María Carmen Rendiles, the first two saints the country will have. The emotion of their compatriots was evident in the Vatican. This canonization had one of best presences of the faithful to date.
To close the month out, another moment in history happened: King Charles of England, leader of the Anglican Church, together with Pope Leo XIV, leader of the Catholic Church, praying together in the Sistine Chapel.
After the prayer, they walked out together, talking. For the first time in 500 years, the two Christian leaders prayed together in public, since King Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1534.
BAM
Trans. CRT
