09 May 2025
With great joy, the ACMRO joins the Church in welcoming the election of Pope Leo XIV as the new pope. Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the first American and Augustinian pope, was born in Chicago on 14 September 1955. On 30 January 2023, the late Pope Francis appointed him as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
The Pope also holds a Peruvian citizenship, where he spent much of his missionary ministry and later became the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in 2015. He reportedly developed a keen awareness of the vulnerabilities faced by migrants and the circumstances forcing migration.
Following his election as the 267th Successor of Saint Peter, the Pope addressed the faithful outside St Peter’s Basilica and said, “We have to look together how to be a missionary Church, building bridges, dialogue, always open to receiving with open arms for everyone, like this square, open to all, to all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.” This is a timely and relevant challenge the Church will continue to pray for, discern, and translate into action.
May Pope Leo XIV's election continue to inspire and encourage us all to keep working and walking together for a society that respects everyone's dignity, particularly those who have been displaced from their homes in finding a better future for themselves.
Read the ACBC media release here.
Read the Vatican News article here.
Read Pope Leo XIV's first words here.
Know more about Pope Leo XIV here.