Indian Ocean Catholic Bishops Pledge “full collaboration” with Pope Leo XIV in His Petrine Ministry

Port Louis, 23 May, 2025 / 8:53 PM

Members of the Episcopal Conference of the Indian Ocean (CEDOI) have pledged their full collaboration with Pope Leo XIV in his ministry as the successor of St. Peter.

In a statement issued Friday, May 23, CEDOI members express gratitude to the Lord for the May 8 election of Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Pontiff. 

“Thank you for having responded to the Lord’s call by putting yourself at the service of the people of God and assuming such a great responsibility,” the Catholic Church leaders say.

They add, “Be assured, Holy Father, of our full collaboration in your mission as pastor of the Catholic Church in the service of proclaiming the Gospel, even in the most remote islands.”

“You can count on our prayer, our loyalty, and our fraternal support,” the Catholic Church leaders in Comoros, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion, and Seychelles say.

They highlight the unique context of the Indian Ocean islands, where multicultural and multireligious dynamics offer fertile ground for dialogue and peacebuilding.

“Living in multicultural islands, we believe we can contribute to intercultural and interreligious dialogue, a factor so important for the promotion of peace, this gift from God,” they say in the statement that CEDOI President, Bishop Alain Harel of Port Victoria o Seychelles Diocese, signed.

They continue, “As our islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change, we commit to making our voices heard for an integral ecology, a fundamental issue for the future of humanity.”

“It is also with great enthusiasm that we embrace this journey of synodality for the renewal of the vitality of our Christian communities, by rooting ourselves in Jesus, the living source of our faith. A Church of communion and participation in view of the mission,” CEDOI members say in their May 23 statement.