Thousands of people, who had gathered in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers as the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began to toll, confirming the election of a new pontiff.
The new pontiff appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at approximately 7:25 p.m. Rome time, where the Protodeacon of the College of Cardinals and Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, Dominique Cardinal Mamberti, announced in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!” (“I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope!”).
Before he appeared on the balcony, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV had spent time in the “Room of Tears,” a small chamber adjacent to the Sistine Chapel. This traditionally named room is where new pontiffs first don the Papal vestments and have a moment of private prayer and reflection as they absorb the magnitude of their election to the Chair of St. Peter.
Following the announcement, Pope Leo XIV addressed the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square and those watching around the world, offering his first blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) as the new Roman pontiff.
In his first address as Pope, the 69-year-old American-born member of the Order of St. Augustine (OSA) asked the people of God to help the Church build bridges through dialogue and encounter, working for unity and peace.
“Peace be with you all. Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, who has given his life for God’s flock. I too would like that this greeting of peace enters into your heart, reaching your families, and all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to all the earth. Peace be with you,” Pope Leo XIV said in his maiden May 8 Papal address.
In his May 8 message, Bishop Durhône reflects on the name of the new Pontiff, saying, “This new Pope has chosen to follow in the footsteps of Leo XIII, who brought social teaching during the great industrial revolution of the late 19th century.”
Pope Leo XIV, the Mauritian Catholic Bishop goes on to note, “was also a missionary in Peru for 20 years. This reveals a man with a heart sensitive to the poor. I sense in him a man of peace, a man at peace.”
Bishop Durhône implores, “Let us pray that he may have the courage and boldness to lead the People of God and to contribute to peace and interreligious dialogue. Let us entrust him to the Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church.”
The newly elected Pontiff was born on 14 September 1955 in Chicago, USA to Louis Marius Prevost of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez of Spanish descent; he has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph.
