He asserted that ‘God loves us all unconditionally’ in his first words from the balcony of St. Peter’s Square.

On Thursday, 133 cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel elected Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church. The American cardinal took the name Leo XIV.

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After highlighting Francis’ legacy, Pope Leo XIV asserted that “God loves us all unconditionally” in his first words from the balcony of St. Peter’s Square after being elected. Within minutes of the announcement of the identity of the new Pope, leaders from around the world began issuing greetings. Below are some of them.

COLOMBIA

President Gustavo Petro: “The new Pope, Leo XIV, is more than an American. His immediate ancestors are Latino: Spanish and French, and he lived for forty years in our Latin America, in Peru. I hope he will be the great leader of migrant peoples in the world and I hope he will encourage our Latin American migrant brothers, today humiliated in the United States. It is time for their organization.

I hope he will help us in the construction of the great force of humanity that defends life, and defeats the greed that has caused the climate crisis and the extinction of all living things. Chicago is the great working-class and progressive city of the United States. I feel hope.”

FRANCE

President Emmanuel Macron: “A historic moment for the Catholic Church and its millions of faithful. To Pope Leo XIV, and to all Catholics in France and around the world, I extend a message of fraternity. On this May 8th, may this new pontificate be one of peace and hope.”

PANAMA

President Jose Mulino: “On behalf of Panama and my family, I extend my best wishes to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. May his pontificate be a beacon of peace, unity, and hope for humanity.”

PARAGUAY

President Santiago Peña: “We receive with immense joy the news of the election of the new Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church: Pope Leo XIV. May his guidance bring hope, dialogue, and unity at a time when we need Christian values ​​more than ever to build a more humane world.”

PORTUGAL

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed his “profound joy” at the election of American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope, saying he has “the fullest hope in his word and his teaching.”

“The successor of Peter is the Shepherd of a vast community, in which there are countless Portuguese people. Congratulations are also extended to the universal Catholic Church and, in particular, to the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, at a time when a new phase of its life is opening, in which the excellent relations between the Portuguese state and the Church will deepen.”

SWITZERLAND

President Karin Keller-Sutter: “In these uncertain times, the Pope’s voice is heard far beyond the Catholic Church.”

UNITED STATES

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “The United States looks forward to deepening its longstanding relationship with the Holy See with the first American pontiff. This is a moment of profound significance for the Catholic Church, offering renewed hope and continuity amid the Jubilee Year of 2025 to more than one billion faithful around the world. The papacy carries with it a sacred and solemn responsibility.”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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