Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago, called for the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza’s conflict and condemned the crime and suffering there on Wednesday during his first public audience as pope in St. Peter’s Square.
” I renew my appeal to permit the access of respectful humanitarian aid and to put an end to the warfare, whose terrible price is paid by the children, old and the sick”, the first American bishop declared.
The Holy Father crossed the cobbled square at the start of the regular event in the memorable popemobile, a white Mercedes-Benz made specifically for pontiffs to be visible for public viewing while still being protected.
A video camcorder captured his every physical appearance, magnified on four huge show screens, as he made the sign of the cross in the air and paused to thank the occasional child. Eventually, he grinned as a crowd roared up and read a list of the nations that were present in the circle in English that ended with” the United States.”
Pope Leo XIV may hold similar public people nearly every week for the remainder of his church.
Friends and family members have observed the striking contrast between the 69-year-old longtime and Augustinian vicar’s lifestyle up to this point in comparison to the new life he’s started as the head of around 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
The couple since , his May 8 election , has been a storm of public images and discussions with officials, including Vice President JD Vance and U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In front of the papacy was Vance, who presented the Cardinals with a Chicago Bears jersey with the number No. XIV on the rear and” Pope Leo” across his shoulders.
The bishop looked at the present and said,” Good option.”
The beauty and pomp of the place belies the plain existence the pope has led for much of his existence. Robert Francis Prevost, who was born Robert Francis Prevost and was raised in southern Illinois, has been portrayed by close friends as a straightforward and down-to-earth gentleman who avoids pomp and circumstance.
The Rev. From 1990 to 1999, John Lydon, a brother Augustinian missionary and companion in Trujillo, Peru, recalled how they lived in subterranean problems.
Turmoil and murder plagued Peru at the time, spurred by the terrible Shining Path insurrection and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.
In terms of human rights, they were challenging times. Life was hard for the people”, said Lydon, who lives in Chicago. Years of complete hunger were it. The generation was a lost decade for Peru”.
Because so many people had emigrated from the mountains to avoid violence, the southeastern portion of the parish they led was particularly vulnerable.
The preachers protested human rights violations and started soup ovens, he said.
According to Lydon, “he gave the people who were marginalized a lot of his interest.” ” He gave them value”.
Back then, there weren’t many amenities or pleasures to be found in the United States, but the pastors took great pleasure in doing so, he said.
Congregants loved” Father Bob”, as they called him, so much so that an entire year had to be blocked off periodically for his birthday holidays because people wanted to throw him parties and events.
They all remember him because he encouraged lay people to join the church’s activities and activities, Lydon said. ” The beliefs aspect of the people”.
Prevost had frequently take longer drives on the highway when he needed to unwind or unwind while in Peru, his former roommate said.
Then, as the Vatican’s head of state, he won’t ever be able to just get behind the wheel of a vehicle and just go there, Lydon said.
Prevost even planned frequent journeys up to the Chicago place to see family and friends, which would become less and simple, according to his fellow former preacher.
” He didn’t just pop in”, said Lyndon, who traveled to the Vatican for Sunday’s annual Mass and returned to Chicago on Monday. ” Anything has changed,” he says.
Scrutiny, conversion
The story of the cross, in which a grower scatters seeds on various types of soil to represent the various responses to the Word of God, was read to the general viewers in the gospel.
The Bible passing was recited in several languages, largely by ladies readers of varied backgrounds.
The Holy Father’s analysis of the passage perfectly captured themes of terrible transformation for humanity’s advantage.
” The story of the cross may even make us think about Jesus himself, who in his death and resurrection became the plant that fell to the ground and died in order to carry abundant fruit”, the new pope said.
His oldest brother, 73-year-old Louis Prevost of Florida, said the pope has always had a gift for diplomacy and working peacefully with all kinds of people in an interview with the Chicago Tribune earlier this month.
” There’s just something about how he does things and how he sees and says things. He won’t tell any lies to anyone. He’s going to tell it like it is”, he said. He won’t depart from the teachings or doctrine of the church. But just be the man that he is and explain things in the manner that he does. I suppose people just go,” Uh, maybe he’s right.” I should look at it like that instead.'”
Louis Prevost sat next to second lady Usha Vance at Sunday’s papal installation, which has recently come under fire for controversial social media posts .
After the Mass, while meeting with dignitaries and world faith leaders, the pope broke protocol to hug his brother.
According to the White House, President Donald Trump and his wife, Deborah, met in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Trump has publicly praised the pope’s older brother for supporting his presidency and the MAGA movement.
Louis Prevost recalls visiting a brother years ago in Peru, where the Augustinian priest warned him they might encounter Shining Path militants.
Once they were driving together and came across a group of men with machine guns blocking the road, Louis Prevost said.
He recalled that the men allegedly turned their heads and pulled back when they looked into the driver’s window and saw his brother.
” They said’ Oh, Padre Roberto. Vaya con Dios. Go ahead. The older brother said,” We don’t want to bother you.”
Louis Prevost was nervous for his youngest brother and told him,” They could just take you out not knowing who you are”.
The priest responded,” It’s my job,” but he replied,” It’s.” It’s my duty as a missionary, “according to the older brother’s recollection.
He has engaged in a variety of interactions with people of all kinds, according to Louis Prevost. On all levels.”
Understanding the human condition
The new pope’s first general audience culminated with the entire piazza singing the Lord’s Prayer in Latin.
The overcast but dry sky above St. Peter’s Basilica was present. Flags from more than three dozen countries dotted the crowd. Couples newly wed arrived in their wedding attire, including a variety of bridal gowns, and were eagerly awaiting a” sposi novelli” blessing from the Holy Father.
Just northeast of the basilica is the Apostolic Palace, where Pope Leo XIV is expected to live in the papal apartments on the top floor overlooking St. Peter’s Square. Although his predecessor Pope Francis disregarded tradition and instead resided in a Vatican guesthouse, it is also known as the papal palace and is considered to be the pontiff’s official residence.
” The papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace is not luxurious. Pope Francis claimed in a 2013 interview that it was old, tastefully decorated, and large, but not luxurious. But in the end it is like an inverted funnel. Although it is large and well-equipped, the entrance is very tight. People can come only in dribs and drabs, and I cannot live without people. I must share my life with others.
The Rev. Pope Leo XIV would want to reside in the Apostolic Palace, according to James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor of America Magazine.
” As much as I loved and admired Pope Francis, I myself wouldn’t want to live in Casa Santa Marta, a guest house, for years on end,” Martin said in a post earlier this month on the social media site X”. People were coming and going, eating in a crowded cafeteria, etc., and it was quite busy. And I would imagine that Leo would appreciate the privacy of the papal apartments.”
Prevost “never had a driver in his life up until now,” according to Father Homero Sanchez of St. Rita’s Church on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
” He has lived with the poor. Sanchez, who has known Prevost as a friend, mentor, and Augustinian brother, said that he had traveled on a donkey to travel to the top of the mountains for about 15 years. He has suffered hunger as well. He is aware of what starvation is all about.
Out of habit, Sanchez repeatedly referred to the pontiff as” Roberto,” but then quickly caught and corrected himself saying”, I mean the pope.”
Sanchez believes that his years as a missionary helped prepare him for the pope despite the fact that Prevost’s life in Peru was strikingly different from the papacy’s world.
” He can relate to the human condition of everyone, “added Sanchez, who traveled to the Vatican for Prevost’s installation”. He also understands how to relate to the wealthy as well as the poor. I think that makes him a little bit closer to everyone.”
The Rev. Joe Roccasalva, who was born and raised in Chicago, recalled that Prevost would often return to the , Chicago area , to visit his brother John Prevost in New Lenox. Prevost and other Augustinian brothers would frequently meet in town at Roccasalva’s former residence and work, Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, where they would frequently meet there.
Prevost served as head of Augustinians worldwide from 2001 to 2013, based in Rome, and before that led the Chicago province of the order.
Everyone would pray and eat together at the friary.
” He would also help do the dishes. ” Roccasalva recalled” He felt called to the brotherhood and to do the work that we all do. … whenever he entered.
When Roccasalva heard Prevost’s name declared pope earlier this month, he cried tears of joy.
” But also a little sadness for him,” said Roccasalva.
Because he knew Prevost’s life would be completely altered once he said” accepto “in Latin, officially taking on the role of pontiff.
Roccasalva, who was present at the Prevost’s installation, was added as” And also a little sad for us, because he was a great spiritual leader for us.” It’s lucky for the world. It’s disappointing that we now lose that one intimate connection.
The Rev. Bernie Scianna, a child of Prevost and a friend of his, expressed his joy at having his friend and Augustinian brother become the Holy Father. He grew up in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.
” However, now this comes with a downside too, because now he can’t just walk across the street for pizza and gelato, right? The days have passed,” Scianna said. He’ll have to be very guarded and secured.”
Scianna noted that Prevost has in many ways sacrificed his life by assuming the position of pontiff.
” We know this is a heavy cross to bear, “he said”. But we sincerely hope that he understands our love, community, and prayer for him.
” It’s good for the church,” Lydon added”. It’s beneficial to the planet.
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