logo
Whoops, waves, tears: Faithful react to Pope Leo's first Sunday blessing in St. Peter's Sqaure

Whoops, waves, tears: Faithful react to Pope Leo's first Sunday blessing in St. Peter's Sqaure

Washington Post11-05-2025
VATICAN CITY — Tens of thousands of faithful Catholics gathered in St. Peter's Square to watch Pope Leo XIV deliver the first Sunday blessing of his pontificate exactly at noon.
They unfurled flags from around the world, waved back as the first U.S. pope waved from the loggia, and whooped, hugged and wiped away tears as he shared a greeting for Mother's Day.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

France extends operating life of 20 nuclear power stations
France extends operating life of 20 nuclear power stations

Yahoo

time7 hours ago

  • Yahoo

France extends operating life of 20 nuclear power stations

France's nuclear safety authority has approved an extension to the operating life of 20 nuclear power stations to 50 years while instructing state-run electricity generator EDF to improve safety measures. The Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (ASNR) had in 2021 extended the operating life of 32 older model reactors to 50 years. The French nuclear fleet is made up of a current total of 57 reactors. The new extension refers to the 1,300-MW series which largely went into operation in the 1980s, some of which are nearing the end of their original operating life of 40 years. French reactors undergo a safety check every 10 years. An extension beyond 40 years is seen by the ASNR as particularly significant and as requiring the concept to be updated or for materials to be renewed. France is currently considering the construction of 14 or more new nuclear power stations, with the commissioning of the first of six planned new reactors scheduled for 2038. Only the United States generates more electricity from nuclear power.

Pope speaks about childhood and early mornings as an altar boy in unscripted visit with campers
Pope speaks about childhood and early mornings as an altar boy in unscripted visit with campers

Washington Post

time10 hours ago

  • Washington Post

Pope speaks about childhood and early mornings as an altar boy in unscripted visit with campers

ROME — Pope Leo XIV spoke publicly about his childhood in Chicago for the first time as pontiff Thursday, recalling that from the age of six he used to get up early to serve as an altar boy at the 6:30 a.m. Mass before going to school. Leo shared the memories during an unscripted visit with the children of Vatican employees who are attending the Holy See's summer camp. They were joined by other children, including Ukrainian young people, who are attending summer programs run by Italy's Caritas charity.

Pope speaks about childhood and early mornings as an altar boy in unscripted visit with campers
Pope speaks about childhood and early mornings as an altar boy in unscripted visit with campers

Associated Press

time10 hours ago

  • Associated Press

Pope speaks about childhood and early mornings as an altar boy in unscripted visit with campers

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV spoke publicly about his childhood in Chicago for the first time as pontiff Thursday, recalling that from the age of six he used to get up early to serve as an altar boy at the 6:30 a.m. Mass before going to school. Leo shared the memories during an unscripted visit with the children of Vatican employees who are attending the Holy See's summer camp. They were joined by other children, including Ukrainian young people, who are attending summer programs run by Italy's Caritas charity. The visit, which was not announced in advance, took place in the Vatican's main audience hall, which was decked out with huge inflatable bouncy castles for the estimated 600 kids. One of the young campers, Giulia, asked Leo if he used to go to Mass as a child. The former Robert Prevost, who grew up the youngest of three brothers in the south Chicago suburb of Dolton, said the family always went to Mass on Sundays. 'But starting from when I was around 6 years old, I was also an altar boy in the parish. And so before going to school -- it was a parochial school -- there was Mass at 6:30 a.m.,' he said, emphasizing how early it was. 'And Mom would wake us up and say 'We're going to Mass!' Because serving Mass was something we liked because starting from when I was young, they taught us that Jesus was always close to us.' Leo, who was born in 1955, recalled that at the time, Mass was celebrated in Latin. He said he had to learn it to serve Mass even before he made his First Communion, one of the key sacraments in the church. 'It wasn't so much the language that it was celebrated in but the experience of getting to know other kids who served the Mass together, the friendship, and this closeness with Jesus in the church,' he said. Leo's brother, John Prevost, has said his little brother knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a priest. Young Robert used to pretend to celebrate Mass using their mother's ironing board as an altar and Necco candies — a once-popular sweet — as Communion wafers. History's first American pope spoke in Italian, but he switched to English to address a group of Ukrainian children, some of whom held up Ukrainian flags and snagged Leo autographs. He spoke about the benefits of meeting people from different backgrounds, languages and lands. It was one of the first times Leo has spoken unscripted at length in public, responding to questions posed to him by the children. He has tended to stick to his prepared texts for his audiences so far in his young pontificate. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store