"With gratitude to the Holy Spirit and in communion with the universal Church, I joyfully welcome the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. His election continues the ministry of Peter, bringing the Church together around the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus.  He has been chosen by his brothers for this ministry.  By his election, they and all the bishops around the world will support him in this challenging mission to have the one mind and the one heart of Jesus.  He is the 266th successor of St. Peter, but Jesus is chief shepherd who always speaks with wisdom, mercy, and joy yesterday, today, and forever.   
I am confident that Pope Leo XIV, guided by the Holy Spirit, will carry forward the evangelical and social mission of the Church with courage, compassion, and fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In him, the Church recognizes a shepherd called to serve the People of God, to defend the dignity of the poor and vulnerable, and to proclaim with conviction the merciful love of the Lord."  

Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago and served as a missionary in Latin America.  His election will renew the missionary spirit that should be at the heart of every disciple of the Lord Jesus. 
He chose the name Leo.  The last pontiff with that name, Leo XIII wrote the first social encyclical of the Church, Rerum Novarum (5-15-1891).  He began a tradition followed by many of his successors, including John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis to speak to the social issues of the world with the light of the gospel.    
As we celebrate this historic moment, we also give thanks for the life and ministry of Pope Francis and all the predecessors of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.  The new Holy Father acknowledged the tireless witness of his predecessor to the joy of the Gospel, his pastoral care for the peripheries, and his call to fraternity and communion.  Those initiatives are now part of the papal legacy begun by a fisherman from Galilee who said yes to the Lord Jesus.   

Let us pray for Pope Leo XIV that he may lead us together as pilgrims of hope in the grace of this jubilee year.