NEWS

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV's devotion to St. Augustine, his life and ministry as a member of the Augustinian order and his focus on the unity of the church are reflected in his episcopal motto and coat of arms. When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica shortly after his election May 8, he introduced himself as "an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine." And he explained that the cardinals who elected him "have chosen me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk together with you as a Church, united, ever pursuing peace and justice, ever seeking to act as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, in order to proclaim the Gospel without fear, to be missionaries."

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic community is alive, beautiful and strong, and it is up to its pastors to protect and nourish the faithful and to help bring God's hope to the whole world, Pope Leo XIV said. For that reason, the pope invited the cardinals "to renew together today our complete commitment to the path that the universal church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council," and that "Pope Francis masterfully and concretely set it forth in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel"), he said May 10, in his first formal speech to the College of Cardinals.

Fr. John Nahrgang and Fr. Fernando Camou, two priests from the Diocese of Phoenix, were among the thousands packed into St. Peter’s Square when the historic selection of Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American from Chicago who had lived and served in Peru for a number of years before moving to Rome, was announced May 8.

For the first time, Fr. Nathaniel Glenn, parochial vicar of St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, prayed for newly elected Pope Leo XIV in the Eucharistic Prayer within hours of the latter’s election as the 267th pontiff May 8.  Fr. Glenn celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for the Election of a Pope during the basilica’s regularly scheduled daily noon Mass.  “I imagine [the new pope] has a very lonely and long night ahead of him. So, as his American brothers and sisters, we pray for him that our Lord can bless him with all the grace that he needs to lead His Church,” Fr. Glenn said in his opening remarks. 

The first U.S.-born cardinal, Robert Francis Prevost, has been named the Roman pontiff on Thursday, taking the name Leo XIV.   Following the opening Mass (The Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff) on Wednesday, 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel later that day to begin the conclave. To elect a new pope, a two-thirds majority was required, meaning at least 89 votes were needed out of 133 electors. On Thursday afternoon in Rome, the white smoke indicated the new pope had been selected.  

Clergy and faithful representing several Christian communities as well as Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches gathered May 7 in downtown Phoenix to pray the Via Lucis.   Also known as the Stations of the Resurrection, the prayer service focuses on Christ’s triumph over the tomb. The candlelight event began in the chapel of the Diocese of Phoenix’s Diocesan Pastoral Center (DPC) and was led by Bishop John Dolan.   The prayers of the Via Lucis, Bishop Dolan said in his opening remarks, are based on the Resurrection accounts in the early Christian Scriptures. He thanked those who gathered to focus on Christ’s Resurrection.  

Since shortly after Bishop John Dolan was installed as leader of the Diocese of Phoenix in 2022, his signature initiative has been mental health awareness and making the Church a full partner with those struggling with illness, along with their families, caregivers and the professionals who treat them.   Part of that effort each year is to recognize clinicians and those in ministry.   Even when the chief shepherd can’t be there in person. 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The conclave that begins May 7 is expected to be the largest in history, with a wide geographical mix of cardinal-electors. While 115 cardinals took part in the conclaves in 2005 and 2013, 133 prelates were expected to walk into the Sistine Chapel to elect a successor to Pope Francis. There are 135 cardinals under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a papal election, however, local church officials had notified the Vatican that Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, the 79-year-old retired archbishop of Valencia, Spain, and Cardinal John Njue, the 79-year-old retired of archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya, were not coming to Rome due to health issues.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- On the final day of official mourning for the death of Pope Francis, the late pontiff was remembered as someone who was determined to live out the mission entrusted to him and serve others, even when his health deteriorated. Presiding over a memorial Mass May 4, French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, said Pope Francis "remained faithful to his mission to the very exhaustion of his strength."

Fr. Fernando Camou, a Diocese of Phoenix priest who is pursuing a Sacred Theology Doctorate in Liturgical Theology at the University of The Holy Cross in Rome, shares his boots-on-the-ground experience of the sights and sounds of St. Peter’s Square in the wake of Pope Francis’ death and the upcoming conclave to elect the new pope. “The Casa Santa Maria, where I live, is 1.5 miles from St. Peter’s Basilica, a 25-minute walk. Currently, Rome is packed with tourists and pilgrims alike. The streets are usually full. Any given time I walk around, I easily hear five different languages, as both the pilgrims and tourists are from all parts of the world — Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There are many Italian pilgrims, too.