Vatican City (AP) – Tens of thousands of faithful Catholics gathered on Saint -Pierre square to look Pope Leo XIV deliver the first Sunday blessing of his pontificate exactly at noon.
They have deployed flags from the world First Pope US Red with loggia, and coquelusted, embraced and wiped tears while he shared a greeting for Mother’s Day.
The crowd began to flock in the Vatican hours before the fanfares arrived and the pope crossed the dark red curtains of the balcony in the middle of the facade of the Saint-Pierre basilica to deliver his prayer.
Here are some of their reactions.
A Whoop and a watercolor
Wesley Buonerba, an American student, was supposed to go home for Mother’s Day after spending the year studying in Rome. But he changed his plans to be in the place for the papal blessing – and let out a drock when Leo said, in Italian, “Happy holidays to all mothers!”
“I can’t help but be happy and feel very blessed,” he said. His curly hair retained by a bandana of stars and stripes, the major of architecture sketched an watercolor of the pope while thousands around him held their smartphones high.
Habits, red roses and red and white flags
Three Peruvian nuns bore red roses on their brown habits for Mother’s Day and deployed a large red and white flag.
“Today too, we are also invited to pray constantly for the service that the Pope brings to all of humanity,” said Alicia Tasayco, a superior general of the religious order of the Cruz canonies in Lima, whose name means canonies of the cross. She visited two of her nuns in Rome when Leo, who served for decades in Peru, was elected.
Tasayco added that after having seen the bishop of the time, Robert Prevost, “always concerned about the most necessary”, she considered that his papacy would continue in this line, in particular by helping women to have a larger voice in the church.
Sister Rosalba Hernández, from Guadalajara, Mexico, agitated a Mexican flag for “the pope around the world”. She said that Leo’s experience with religious orders – she is an Augustinian – should help her continue to give religious women more votes in the Church.
“He knows and understands our life,” she said.
‘The pope will do a lot for us’
Valentina Román Calle, 5, in the red and white shirt of the Peruvian national football team, was sitting on her father’s shoulders. The family lives in Italy for four years and came to the place to obtain the blessing of Leo because the older sister of Valentina, 10, must undergo an operation.
“The pope will do a lot for us,” said Daughter’s mother, Elizabeth Calle. “We have the impression that we can really identify ourselves.”
Other migrants in the place also said they thought Leo understood their fate and will plead for them, as Pope Francis also made.
The faithful applauded while Leo called at the end of the war and urged young people not to be afraid, echoing one of the Saint-Jean-Paul II brand speeches.
“We ask too much of him,” said Peruvian tourist Kathy Fernández. She said that she was praying that Leo was protecting her family, inspired her 6 -year -old son to grow up in Catholic faith, help people find work so that they can live honestly and promote world peace.
The calm pope
While crossing the semi -circular colonnade of the 17th century which seems to embrace the ST Peter place – and Leo refers to his first speech Thursday – the Reverend Michael Masteller of Los Angeles said that he always treated all the emotions to watch the first blessing of Sunday.
But above all, the Catholic priest said that he felt peaceful because of the own leadership of Leo.
“He has this calm,” said Masteller. “I feel it, and it gives me confidence.”
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