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Chicago Tribune
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Pope Leo XIV officially begins his papacy with an inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square
VATICAN CITY — Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV will officially begin his papacy this morning as he presides over his inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. The liturgy is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in Rome, 3 a.m. Central Time. The pontiff made history earlier this month when he was elected to be the first American pope in the church's 2,000-year history. Dignitaries and faith leaders from across the globe plan to attend, including Vice President JD Vance, who will lead the U.S. delegation. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, is expected to be joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Catholic, and second lady Usha Vance. Other international leaders on the guest list include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Pope Leo XIV's friends, Catholic faithful from Chicago travel to the Vatican for his inaugural MassThe event typically starts with a new pontiff taking a ride through St. Peter's Square in the popemobile, a vehicle specially designed to transport the pope for public appearances and to allow him to be visible while still protected, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The liturgy commences inside St. Peter's Basilica, where the new pope — joined by the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches — will descend to the tomb of St. Peter and pause for prayer, according to the Vatican. The site also will be censed, the liturgical act of swinging a container holding burning incense. Several symbols of the papacy will be conferred on the new pope: One is the pallium, a white shawl of lamb's wool evoking 'the image of the good shepherd who lays the lost sheep on his shoulders,' according to Vatican News. Another is the Fisherman's Ring, also known as the Piscatory Ring, which represents the pope's connection to St. Peter, a Jewish fisherman and Apostle who became the first pope. The ring is smashed or broken after a pontiff's death. Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955. Raised in south suburban Dolton, he was the youngest of three brothers in a close-knit Catholic family. They attended the now-closed St. Mary of the Assumption on the Far South Side, where he went to school and sang in the choir. Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, described Prevost as an attentive listener and hard worker, traits he ascribed to his Chicago-area roots. 'I think he learned that in Chicago,' Cupich said during a phone interview with the Tribune. 'The culture on the South Side of Chicago — and Chicago generally — is that we are people who are loyal and hard workers. We are people who love our families and our faith. And I think that shaped him.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Livestream: Watch as newly elected pope is announced
Update: Cardinal Robert Prevost has been named the first American pope, selected Thursday by 133 cardinals from across the globe on the second day of the papal conclave in Rome. .Bishops and other senior officials of the Catholic Church will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the second day of voting on May 8 to elect Pope Francis' successor. The papal conclave, hosted by the College of Cardinals, began on Wednesday. Black smoke plumed from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday night, indicating an inconclusive first vote. The cardinals are tasked with voting for one of their colleagues to take over the role of pontiff. Before the election began, each cardinal took an oath of secrecy and the Sistine Chapel's doors were sealed, sequestering the cardinals from the "outside world." Each cardinal votes by secret ballot, says a prayer and then drops his ballot into a large chalice, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website states. The conclave concludes once one candidate receives a two-thirds majority vote. Live updates: Black smoke signals no pope elected in latest conclave vote USA TODAY will livestream coverage of the conclave's first day between 3 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 8. It will also be available on the USA TODAY YouTube channel. Because the cardinals are sequestered during a conclave, black or white smoke is used to represent the cardinals' decisions for the day, bellowing from a Sistine Chapel chimney. Black smoke indicates that one candidate has not received the necessary votes and more voting lies ahead. White smoke, on the contrary, means a candidate has received the necessary votes and will soon be introduced to the world as the new pontiff. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pope livestream: Watch as new pontiff is announced
Irish Examiner
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Unearthed comments from new Pope Leo XIV alarm LGBTQ+ Catholics
After years of sympathetic and inclusive comments from Pope Francis, LGBTQ+ Catholics expressed concern on Thursday about hostile remarks made more than a decade ago by Father Robert Prevost, the new Pope Leo XIV, in which he condemned what he called the 'homosexual lifestyle' and 'the redefinition of marriage' as 'at odds with the Gospel'. In a 2012 address to the world synod of bishops, the man who now leads the church said that 'Western mass media is extraordinarily effective in fostering within the general public enormous sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel – for example abortion, homosexual lifestyle, euthanasia'. In the remarks, of which he also read portions for a video produced by the Catholic News Service, a news agency owned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the cleric blamed mass media for fostering so much 'sympathy for anti-Christian lifestyles choices' that 'when people hear the Christian message it often inevitably seems ideological and emotionally cruel'. 'Catholic pastors who preach against the legalization of abortion or the redefinition of marriage are portrayed as being ideologically driven, severe and uncaring,' Prevost added. He went on to complain that 'alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children are so benignly and sympathetically portrayed in television programs and cinema today'. The video illustrated his criticism of the 'homosexual lifestyle' and 'same-sex partners and their adopted children' with clips from two US sitcoms featuring same-sex couples, The New Normal and Modern Family. The cleric also called for a 'new evangelization to counter these mass media-produced distortions of religious and ethical reality'. After some of the comments were reported by the New York Times, American LGBTQ+ Catholic groups expressed alarm but also cautious optimism that the papacy of Francis had moved the whole church forward. 'We pray that in the 13 years that have passed, 12 of which were under the papacy of Pope Francis, that his heart and mind have developed more progressively on LGBTQ+ issues, and we will take a wait-and-see attitude to see if that has happened,' said Francis DeBernardo, the executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based LGBTQ+ Catholic group, in a statement. 'We pray that as our church transitions from 12 years of an historic papacy, Pope Leo XIV will continue the welcome and outreach to LGBTQ+ people which Pope Francis inaugurated.' DignityUSA, a group that represents LGBTQ+ Catholics, also expressed 'concern' with the pope's previous comments but wrote in an online post: 'We note that this statement was made during the papacy of Benedict XVI, when doctrinal adherence appeared to be expected. In addition, the voices of LGBTQ+ people were rarely heard at that level of church leadership. We pray that Pope Leo XIV will demonstrate a willingness to listen and grow as he begins his new role as the leader of the global church.' Perhaps the best-known of the sympathetic statements made about LGBTQ+ Catholics by Pope Francis was a comment he made to reporters in 2013, when he was asked about his observation that there was a 'gay lobby' inside the Vatican hierarchy. 'I have yet to find someone who introduces himself at the Vatican with an identity card marked 'gay',' the pope joked. 'But we must distinguish the fact that a person is gay from the fact of lobbying, because no lobbies are good.' 'If a person is gay,' he added, 'and he searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?' DeBernardo, the New Ways Ministry director, referenced those remarks on Thursday. 'The healing that began with 'Who am I to judge?' needs to continue and grow to 'Who am I, if not a friend to LGBTQ+ people?'' DeBernardo said. 'Pope Francis opened the door to a new approach to LGBTQ+ people; Pope Leo must now guide the church through that door,' he added. 'Many Catholics, including bishops and other leaders, remain ignorant about the reality of LGBTQ+ lives, including the marginalization, discrimination, and violence that many still face, even in Catholic institutions. We hope that he will further educate himself by meeting with and listening to LGBTQ+ Catholics and their supporters.' Marianne Duddy-Burke, the executive director of DignityUSA, told the Washington Blade in a text message from St Peter's Square shortly after Leo XIV's election that the new pope 'hasn't said a lot since early 2010s' on the subject, adding 'hope he has evolved'. Father James Martin, an American Jesuit and the founder of Outreach, an LGBTQ+ Catholic resource, sounded a note of optimism in a video message from Rome, calling the new pope a 'down-to-earth, kind, modest' man and 'a great choice'. In 2023, Martin was able to bless a same-sex couple for the first time, after Pope Francis said he would allow such blessings. In 2020, Pope Francis said that he supported civil-union laws for same-sex couples. 'Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They're children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it,' he said. 'Pope Francis did more for LGBTQ people than all his predecessors combined,' Martin wrote last month. 'He wrote letters of welcome to Outreach conferences for LGBTQ Catholics. He approved the publication of 'Fiducia Supplicans, a Vatican document that permitted priests to bless same-sex marriages under certain circumstances – and weathered intense blowback from some parts of the church. And, perhaps most surprisingly and least well known, he met regularly with transgender Catholics and spoke to them with warmth and welcome.' - The Guardian
Herald Malaysia
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Archbishop Broglio welcomes Pope Leo XIV: 'A shepherd for a troubled world'
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, expresses joy and gratitude following the election of Pope Leo XIV. May 09, 2025 Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony (@Vatican Media) By Marie Duhamel and Linda BordoniSpeaking to Vatican News shortly after the announcement of the election of Pope Leo XIV from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, Archbishop Broglio, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was 'very pleased with the choice of the cardinals,' acknowledging his surprise at the outcome but affirming his deep sense of happiness and trust in the new pontificate. 'I certainly offer a prayer for Pope Leo,' he said, 'and pray for the beginning of his mission and for its success.' Archbishop Broglio shared that he had met Pope Leo XIV during official visits to Rome as part of his role with the bishops' conference, recalling a man marked by warmth, openness, and a genuine desire to collaborate, as well as during the Synod on Synodality. 'On both occasions,' he noted, 'he was very cordial and demonstrated a great desire to be helpful and work together. I was very grateful for that.' What is in a name? The choice of the name 'Leo' evokes rich associations with Church history, particularly Pope Leo XIII, remembered for his groundbreaking work on Catholic social teaching and his encyclical Rerum Novarum. 'It sparks the memory of Leo XIII,' Archbishop Broglio reflected, 'who was the first pope to enunciate in a clear fashion the social doctrine of the Church.' The name also speaks to the new Pope's roots. 'Since Leo came from the neighbourhood of Rome, I think the people of Rome, primarily, will be very happy,' he said. A call for peace Highlighting the state of the world today, Archbishop Broglio stressed the need for the Pope to be a voice for peace and dialogue amid the many crises unfolding across the globe. 'I think all of us are extremely troubled by the by the situations that continue to ignite in our world. I think now of Pakistan and India, but we also have this disaster in Ukraine and in the Middle East, and so many parts of Africa. So that he would speak of peace, I think is essential. And I hope that he will be a pontiff who can further peace and dialogue in our world,' he said. A united Church Reflecting on Pope Leo XIV's words about a united Church, Archbishop Broglio agreed that this message is also important for the people of the United States. 'One of the things we have to learn is to listen to each other,' he said. 'We may disagree, but each person is created in the image of God, and that should never be lost. I hope we hear his message as an invitation to be unified and to become instruments of dialogue.' A universal shepherd Archbishop Broglio also commented on Pope Leo's international background—French and Italian by heritage, with pastoral experience in Latin America—as a gift to his universal ministry. 'I think it's excellent,' he said. 'Living in different parts of the world makes a big difference. It brings depth, perspective, and a richness that will help him guide the Church.' He added that such global experience helps keep the Church from becoming 'lost in its own backyard.' A Pastor for all Noting the Pope's decision to speak in Italian during his first public address, Archbishop Broglio remarked on the pastoral significance of language. 'As the Bishop of Rome, I think it's important he spoke Italian,' he said, while also acknowledging the comfort this choice brings to Spanish-speaking Catholics, especially in light of the recent passing of Pope Francis. 'It will be reassuring to see that their new pastor can reach their hearts as well.' Concluding, Archbishop Broglio offered prayers for Pope Leo XIV: 'I wish him tranquillity and every success in his ministry.'--Vatican News
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Conclave live May 8: Watch for smoke, results of election of new pope
Day 2 of the papal conclave, the election to select Pope Francis' successor, has begun inside the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. Cardinal electors will cast their ballots for the new Bishop of Rome. According to the Vatican, voting happens four times daily - twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon. If, after three days, no candidate has been chosen, voting is paused for one day of prayer, informal discussions, and a brief spiritual exhortation by the senior cardinal deacon. If a new pope is not elected after 21 votes, the candidate field is trimmed to the two top vote-getters from the previous round of voting. Before the election began, each cardinal took an oath of secrecy and the Sistine Chapel's doors were sealed, sequestering the cardinals from the "outside world." Each cardinal votes by secret ballot, says a prayer and then drops his ballot into a large chalice, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website states. The conclave concludes once one candidate receives a two-thirds majority vote. Black smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel's chimney on Wednesday, May 7, signaling no pope had been elected. USA TODAY will livestream coverage of the conclave's first day between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 8. It will also be available on the USA TODAY YouTube channel. Because the cardinals are sequestered during a conclave, black or white smoke is used to represent the cardinals' decisions for the day, bellowing from a Sistine Chapel chimney. Black smoke indicates that one candidate has not received the necessary votes and more voting lies ahead. Secret ballots and white smoke: Here's how the papal conclave will elect a new pope White smoke, on the contrary, means a candidate has received the necessary votes and will soon be introduced to the world as the new pontiff. Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Conclave results live: Watch for smoke in papal election Day 2
