Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago, called for the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza’s conflict and condemned the Middle East’s anguish and murder during his first official address on Wednesday 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 classic 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 leading around 1.4 billion Christians around the world.
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 pope 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 paused as he said,” Great choice,” while looking at the product.
The beauty and pomp of the place belies the plain existence the pope has led for much of his existence. Born Robert Francis Prevost and raised in southern residential Dolton, Illinois, he has been portrayed by close friends as a straightforward and down-to-earth person who is not very sensitive to pomp and circumstance.
The Rev. From 1990 to 1999, John Lydon, his 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.
” They were challenging times in terms of human rights. Life was tough for the people”, said Lydon, who lives in Chicago. It was centuries of hardship total. 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.
Lydon said,” That’s where he gave a lot of his attention to the people who were marginalized.” ” He gave them value”.
The missionaries took great delight in the job, he said, even though there weren’t many amenities or amenities available in the country at the time.
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 layman to take part in the church’s mission and activities,” Lydon said. ” The faith dimension of the people”.
Prevost would frequently take long drives on the highway when he needed to unwind or unwind while in Peru, his former roommate said.
Now, as the Vatican’s head of state, he won’t ever be able to just get behind the wheel of a car and just go somewhere, Lydon said.
Prevost also said that while visiting family and friends in the Chicago area will become less frequent and simple, his fellow former missionary said.
” He can’t just pop in”, said Lyndon, who traveled to the Vatican for Sunday’s inaugural Mass and returned to Chicago on Monday. ” Everything has changed,” he says.
Scrutiny, transformation
The parable of the sower, in which a farmer scatters seeds on various kinds of soil to represent various responses to the Word of God, was read to the general audience as gospel reading.
The Bible passage was recited in multiple languages, predominantly by women readers of diverse backgrounds.
The Holy Father’s analysis of the passage perfectly captured themes of painful transformation for the greater good of humanity.
” The parable of the sower can also make us think about Jesus himself, who in his death and resurrection became the seed that fell to the ground and died in order to bear rich fruit”, the new pope said.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune earlier this month, his oldest brother, 73-year-old Louis Prevost of Florida, claimed that the pope has always had a gift for diplomacy and working peacefully with all kinds of people.
” There’s just something about how he does things and how he sees and says things. He won’t lie 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 accept that people kind of say,” 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 a visit to his 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 recalls that the men retracted their actions 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. It’s my duty as a missionary, “according to the older brother’s recollection.
He has engaged in all kinds of interactions and interacted with various kinds of people, 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 still dry sky surrounded St. Peter’s Basilica. 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 big and well-sized, 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 live 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”. It was quite busy, with people coming and going, eating in a crowded cafeteria, etc. 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 for roughly 15 years, said he had traveled on a donkey to travel all the way to the top of the mountains. He has suffered hunger as well. He is aware of what starvation entails.
Out of habit, Sanchez repeatedly referred to the pontiff as” Roberto,” but then quickly caught and corrected himself saying”, I mean the pope.”
Even though Prevost’s life in Peru was radically different from the papacy’s, Sanchez believes that his years as a missionary contributed to his becoming the pope.
” He can relate to the human condition of everyone, “added Sanchez, who traveled to the Vatican for Prevost’s installation”. He also has a strong affinity for the wealthy and 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 would frequently spend time with him and other Augustinian brothers at the Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, where Roccasalva used to reside and work.
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.
” 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 Vatican for 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 benefits the planet in general.
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