{"id":27734,"date":"2025-05-08T06:43:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T06:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?p=27734"},"modified":"2025-05-13T09:13:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T09:13:13","slug":"welcome-pope-leo-xiv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lectiodivina.com.au\/?p=27734","title":{"rendered":"Welcome Pope Leo XIV"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A New Pope,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is an exciting time to be Catholic. It\u2019s exciting because we are welcoming a new leader to inspire us, guide us and lead us closer to Jesus. He has always been one of us, but now he\u2019s one of us on the world stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are all curious about who Pope Leo IV is. There are stories about his previous responsibilities and ministry, and there are interviews with his brothers and childhood friends and American morning TV programs are full of stories about their new Pope!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was very interested to read an article by Br Mark O\u2019Connor FMS who was in Rome over Easter to witness both the death and funeral of Pope Francis and then the installation of the Pope Leo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Br Mark had met the then Cardinal Robert Prevost in Rome on previous occasions was impressed by his calm and quiet leadership. But more importantly Br Mark commented on the way Cardinal Prevost\u2019s international ministry had shaped his world view and mission to the poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I share with you an extract from his article in Parramatta\u2019s Catholic Outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A continuation of Pope Francis\u2019 legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

. . . From the moment Leo XIV stepped onto St Peter\u2019s balcony, there was a palpable sense that this pontificate would not be marked by rupture, but by a steady continuation of Pope Francis\u2019 vision \u2013 one defined by synodality, solidarity with the poor, and a global Church that listens before it lectures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His first words as Pope spoke volumes. He invoked peace, not as a platitude, but as a core principle for our fractured world. He emphasised the importance of dialogue and discernment, the very heart of synodality that Francis so passionately advanced. He reaffirmed the Church\u2019s preferential option for the poor, its enduring responsibility to migrants and refugees, and its moral imperative to walk alongside those on the margins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These were not just gestures \u2013 they were signals of a type of future that Francis would have liked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the name he chose, Leo XIV, was deeply symbolic. It ties directly to Pope Leo XIII, the towering figure of the late 19th century who penned Rerum Novarum<\/em>, the foundational social encyclical that thrust the Catholic Church into the modern world of workers\u2019 rights, trade unions, and the fight against poverty. Leo XIII made it clear that the Church could no longer remain silent in the face of injustice \u2013 and by choosing this name, the new Pope has made clear that those commitments will not be abandoned.. . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I welcome Pope Leo IV with open arms and a grateful heart. We are blessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virginia Ryan<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A New Pope, It is an exciting time to be Catholic. It\u2019s exciting because we are welcoming a new leader to inspire us, guide us and lead us closer to Jesus. He has always been one of us, but now he\u2019s one of us on the world stage. We are all curious about who Pope […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t