(Islamabad) – The entire Catholic Church is joyfully celebrating the news of the election of US-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who chose the name of Leo XIV, as the new pontiff.
The first pope in history to come from the United States, he was also welcomed with enthusiasm and hope by Pakistan’s Christian community, which has expressed its support and spiritual closeness to the new head of the Church.
“This moment marks a time of spiritual joy, hope, and renewal for the entire Church. We are grateful that God has chosen a leader distinguished by humility, simplicity, wisdom, love, and a spirit of service,” said Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad.
“We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ may bless the new pope with wisdom, strength, patience, and spiritual insight, enabling him to guide the Church through contemporary challenges towards unity, peace, and justice,” the prelate added.
“Under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV, we hope the Church will be further empowered, touch the hearts of youth, give voice to the marginalised, and proclaim the Gospel message with renewed vigour across the world. May the grace of the Lord and the guidance of the Holy Spirit always be with him,” said Bishop Rehmat.
Daniel Bashir, a young Pakistani seminarian studying theology in Italy, described the emotion the election sparked.
“I was in my class when I saw the white smoke and heard the bells sound. We started praying and thanking God for the new pope. My classmates and I are very excited about him. I like our Holy Father's first speech, where he mentioned the missionary Church and stressed peace in the world,” the seminarian said.
“I hope the new pope will lead the Church along the Missionary path. In his first speech, he talked about the missionary Church. I hope he will be the voice of the voiceless, especially those in countries where Christians are persecuted because of their Faith,” Daniel added.
“As a young person from Pakistan, I have great hope for our new pope, who will be the pope of the people, and he will also play a significant role by promoting Peace all over the world by practising social justice.”
Speaking to AsiaNews, Fr Khalid Rashid Asi underscored the historical importance of the choice.
“To elect a new pope from the USA is a historic decision. This time they (the cardinals) have shown their trust in a pope from the USA who will lead as the great religious leader of the world. Pope Leo is considered as a moderate; humble, he loves dialogue and holds constructive thoughts,” he said.
“He is not only a leading religious figure but he also has deep thoughts about the current affairs of the world like social justice, rights of migrants, progress of religious minorities, climate change and transparency in the Church. We hope that Pope Leo will take on the legacy of the late Pope Francis, shaping the Church with harmony and progressive thoughts, which will bring together the world’s different school of thoughts, languages, cultures and nations.”
For Fr Rashid, “The decision to elect Pope Leo XIV is the beginning of a new era; he is taking the Church’s leadership when the world is going through multiple social, political, ethical and climate challenges.”
What is more, “His first speech based on simplicity, serving, reforms and dialogue will help bond the Church with the new trends of this century. May God grant him the wisdom and strength to lead the world with justice! May he be a bridge builder, focusing especially on global peace with justice, interfaith harmony, and peaceful coexistence across the world.”
