Leo XIV Quotes

With great joy I extend my cordial greetings to all of you, Representatives of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, as well as of other religions, who participated in the inaugural celebration of my ministry as Bishop of Rome and Successor of Peter. [...] One of the strong emphases of Pope Francis’ pontificate was that of universal fraternity. In this regard the Holy Spirit really “urged” him to advance with great strides the initiatives already undertaken by previous Pontiffs, especially since Saint John XXIII. The Pope of Fratelli Tutti promoted both the ecumenical path and interreligious dialogue. He did so above all by cultivating interpersonal relations, in such a way that, without taking anything away from ecclesial bonds, the human trait of the encounter was always valued. May God help us to treasure his witness! [...]

I also want to thank all my brother cardinals who chose me to be Peter's successor and to walk with you as a united Church, always seeking peace, justice, always trying to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.

A bishop must not be a little prince sitting in his kingdom.

Being a good shepherd means being able to accompany God's people and live close to them, not being isolated. Pope Francis has said this clearly many times. He does not want bishops who live in palaces. He wants bishops who live in relationship with God, with the rest of the episcopate, with priests and, above all, with the people of God in a way that reflects the compassion and love of Christ, creating community, learning to live what it means to be part of the Church in an integral way that includes much listening and dialogue.

One of the things that comes to mind when I think of St Augustine, his vision and his understanding of what it means to belong to the Church, is what he says about not being able to say you are a follower of Christ without being part of the Church. Christ is part of the Church. He is the head. So anyone who thinks they can follow Christ ‘in their own way’ without being part of the body is, unfortunately, a distortion of what is an authentic experience. St Augustine has an omnipresent wisdom that helps us to live in communion. Unity and communion are essential charisms of the life of the Order and a fundamental part of understanding what the Church is and what it means to be in the Church.

To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, of the whole world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, which always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer.

Perseverance is a great gift that the Lord is ready to offer us. But we must learn to welcome it and make it come alive, to be strong. It is one of those gifts that are built up over time, in the small trials of the beginning that help us to be stronger, to be able to carry the Cross when it becomes heavier. It is what enables us and makes us capable of moving forward.

Fratelli cardinali, saluto e ringrazio tutti voi per questo incontro e per i giorni che lo hanno preceduto, dolorosi per la perdita del Santo Padre Francesco, impegnativi per le responsabilità affrontate insieme e al tempo stesso, secondo la promessa che Gesù stesso ci ha fatto, ricchi di grazia e di consolazione nello Spirito. La vostra presenza mi ricorda che il Signore che mi ha affidato questa missione non mi lascia solo nel portarne la responsabilità. So, prima di tutto, di poter contare sempre, sempre sul suo aiuto, l'aiuto del Signore e, per sua grazia e provvidenza, sulla vicinanza vostra e di tanti fratelli e sorelle che in tutto il mondo credono in Dio, amano la Chiesa e sostengono con la preghiera e le buone opere il vicario di Cristo.

Ideologies have become more powerful than humanity's real experience, faith, and the different values we live by. Some will misunderstand unity as uniformity: ‘You must be like us.’ No, it cannot be so. Nor can diversity be understood as a way of living without criteria or order. The latter lose sight of the fact that since the very creation of the world, the gift of nature, the gift of human life, the gift of so many different things that we experience and celebrate, cannot be sustained by inventing my own rules and doing things my way. These are ideological positions. When an ideology becomes, so to speak, the master of my life, then I can no longer dialogue with another person because I have already decided how things will be. Therefore, I am closed to encounter and transformation cannot take place. And this can happen anywhere in the world, on any subject. This obviously makes it very difficult to be Church, to be community, to be brothers and sisters.

Today is the day of the Supplication to the Madonna of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, to be close, to help us with her intercession and her love. Then 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 let us ask this special grace from Mary, our mother.

Anche oggi non sono pochi i contesti in cui la fede cristiana è ritenuta una cosa assurda, per persone deboli e poco intelligenti; contesti in cui a essa si preferiscono altre sicurezze, come la tecnologia, il denaro, il successo, il potere, il piacere. Si tratta di ambienti in cui non è facile testimoniare e annunciare il Vangelo e dove chi crede è deriso, osteggiato, disprezzato, o al massimo sopportato e compatito. Eppure, proprio per questo, sono luoghi in cui urge la missione, perché la mancanza di fede porta spesso con sé drammi quali la perdita del senso della vita, l’oblio della misericordia, la violazione della dignità della persona nelle sue forme più drammatiche, la crisi della famiglia e altre ferite di cui la nostra società soffre e non poco.

Fratelli carissimi, vorrei concludere questa prima parte del il nostro incontro facendo mio – e proponendo anche a voi – l’auspicio che San Paolo VI, nel 1963, pose all’inizio del suo Ministero petrino: "Passi su tutto il mondo come una grande fiamma di fede e di amore che accenda tutti gli uomini di buona volontà, ne rischiari le vie della collaborazione reciproca, e attiri sull’umanità, ancora e sempre, l’abbondanza delle divine compiacenze, la forza stessa di Dio, senza l’aiuto del Quale, nulla è valido, nulla è santo".

Ho sempre avuto l'impressione di un uomo che voleva vivere autenticamente, con coerenza, il Vangelo. Ai Ai tempi in cui ero priore generale degli agostiniani, varie volte, durante le visite ai miei confratelli in Argentina, quando era ancora cardinale, ho avuto l’opportunità di incontrarlo e di parlare con lui, in maniera informale e su questioni più istituzionali.

(Meeting the cardinals in Vatican) Dear brothers, I would like to conclude this first part of our meeting by making my own – and proposing to you as well – the wish that Saint Paul VI expressed at the beginning of his Petrine Ministry in 1963: ‘May it pass over the whole world like a great flame of faith and love, kindling all people of good will, illuminating the paths of mutual cooperation, and drawing upon humanity, again and always, the abundance of divine favours, the very strength of God, without whose help nothing is valid, nothing is holy.’

Interviewer: You are an Augustinian. How does Augustinian spirituality characterise your ministry?
Cardinal Prevost: We could say several things... As my episcopal motto suggests, unity and communion are part of the charism of the Order of Saint Augustine and also of my way of acting and thinking. I think it is very important to promote communion in the Church, and we know well that communion, participation and mission are the three key words of the Synod. So, as an Augustinian, promoting unity and communion is fundamental for me. St Augustine also speaks a lot about unity in the Church and the need to live it, about the fact that there is a certain guarantee of unity in listening to the Bishop of Rome, in being part of the Church of Rome. In this sense too, therefore, I feel that the Pope's new call is a way of living my unity and participation in the Church, in obedience to the Holy Father. This too is very Augustinian.
Interviewer: How much does the figure of Augustine inspire your choices, your steps, your service in the Church?
Cardinal Prevost: St Augustine is certainly a great figure not only for the order but for everyone. I wish I had more time to study and read him. He has so much to offer the Church, even the Church of today. Then there is what I said before: unity in the Church and fidelity to the Bishop of Rome, always seeking to promote communion. Living unity in the Church, as Augustine recommends, means living united in Christ.