An Augustian. An American. A White Sox Fan. A Linguist. A Villanova Wildcat Fan. A Tennis Player. All true, but most importantly: The Vicar of Christ, The Successor of Saint Peter. The Pontiff. The Servant of the Servants of God. The Pope.
The selection of Pope Leo XIV is the work of the Holy Spirit who was present in the Sistine Chapel when the ballots were written and the white smoke rose from the chimney and wafted into Vatican Square. How blest is the Church to have a shepherd again. But Pope Leo needs our prayers because he bears the weight of the cross by leading the Church through a time of war, economic challenge, and our own version of an Industrial Revolution. I have great hope that there will be a renewal in the Church that will bring people back because they will choose Christ who offers a true and lasting peace in hearts, in homes, and in the world. Here’s the traditional prayer for the pope. Please join me in offering it for our new Holy Father.
A Prayer for the Holy Father
O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably on your servant Leo XIV, whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd; grant, we pray, that by word and example he may be of service to those over whom he presides so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to everlasting life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Viva il Papa! Long live the Pope!
