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The first words of Pope Leo XIV from the Gallery of the Vatican Basilica
Thursday, 8th May 2025
Yesterday evening, after the white smoke at 6:07 p.m. from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel announcing the election to the world, at 7:23 p.m. the new Pontiff Leo XIV, preceded by the Cross, looked out over the external Loggia of the Blessing of the Vatican Basilica to greet the people and impart the Apostolic Blessing “Urbi et Orbi”, introducing it with the words that we publish below.
“Peace be with you all!”
Dear brothers and sisters, this was the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for God’s flock.
I too want like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, all peoples, wherever they are, all peoples, the whole earth.
Peace be with you!
This is the peace of the Risen Christ, an unarmed peace and a disarming, humble and persevering peace.
It comes from God who loves us all unconditionally.
We still have in our ears that faint but always courageous voice of Pope Francis who blessed Rome, who gave his blessing to the world, to the whole world, on this year’s Easter morning!
Let me follow with the same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail!
We are all in God’s hands.
So let us go forward, without fear, united hand in hand with God and with each other!
We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light.
Humanity needs him as a bridge to reach God and his love.
Help us too, then, to help each other to build bridges, with dialogue, with encounter, to unite us all to be one people always at peace.
Thank you, Pope Francis!
I also want to thank my brother Cardinals who have chosen me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk together with you, as a united Church, always seeking peace and justice, always seeking to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.
I am a son of St. Augustine, an Augustinian, who said:
“With you I am a Christian and for you I am a bishop.”
In this sense we can all walk together towards the homeland that God has prepared for us.
A special greeting to the Church of Rome!
We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges and dialogue, always open to welcome, like this square, with open arms, all those who need our charity, our presence, our dialogue and our love.
