Pope Leo XIV appears on the central loggia of the Saint-Pierre basilica after being chosen on the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic church, in the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025.
Alessandra Tarantino / AP
hide
tilting legend
Alessandra Tarantino / AP
Cardinal Robert Prevost delivered his first speech as Pope Leo XIV on the Balcony of the Saint-Pierre Basilica, shortly after being elected pontiff. You will find below a transcription of the speech, translated from its original Italian.
Peace be with you all!
The most dear brothers and sisters are the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for the herd of God.
Me too, I would like this greeting of peace to enter your heart, to reach your families, and everyone, wherever they are, all people, everywhere on earth.
Peace be with you!
It is the peace of resurrected Christ, an unarmed peace and disarming, humble and persevering peace. It comes from God, God who loves us all unconditionally. We always have in our ears this weak, but always courageous voice of Pope Francis, when he blessed Rome!
The pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, the whole world, this Easter morning. Let me follow this same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail!
We are all in the hands of God.
Therefore, without fear, united in hand with God and between us, we move forward. We are disciples of Christ.
Christ precedes us. The world needs its light. Humanity needs him as the bridge to allow him to be reached by God and his love.
Help us too, and we help ourselves to build bridges, with a dialogue, with meetings, uniting all of us to be a single people, always in peace. Thank you, Pope Francis! I would also like to thank all my cardinal brothers who chose me for being the successor to Peter, and to walk with you, as a united Church in search of peace, justice, peace, justice, justice, always in search of work like men and women who
are faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, as missionaries.
I am a son of Saint Augustine, an Augustinian, who said: “With you, I am a Christian and for you I am a bishop”. In this sense, we can all walk together towards this homeland that God has prepared for us.
In the church of Rome, a special greeting! We must seek together how to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges, a dialogue, always open to receive like this square with open arms, all, all those who need our charity, our presence, our dialogue and our love.
And if you allow me a word, a greeting to all and especially to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people accompanied their bishop, shared their faith and gave so many things to continue to be a church faithful to Jesus Christ.
For all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, Italy, from the whole world, we want to be a church in the synod, a church that works, a church that always seeks peace, which always seeks charity, which always seeks to be near, especially those who suffer.
Today is the day of supplication in Notre-Dame de Pompeii. Our mother Mary always wants to walk with us, to be close, to help us with her intercession and his love. So I would like to pray with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole Church, for peace in the world and also ask Marie, our mother, for this special grace.
I greet you Mary …
