The Mountain resident community is very happy with what we are hearing about and from Pope Leo XIV.
Of course, we are proud he is an American, but like America at its best, he is a melting pot of races and cultures. He has had experiences here in the U.S., but also as a missionary in the “Global South.” This makes him cross-culturally competent. Pope Leo studied theology at the same school in Chicago that many of our friars have studied, so we believe that he has had a pastoral theological education, in addition to his degree in Canon Law! Finally, the fact that he has taken the name Leo means he is inspired by Pope Leo XIII and his focus on Catholic Social Teaching that called for justice for workers and care for immigrants. We’re sure we will find as time goes on, more and more to be happy about.
A wonderful quote from Pope Leo on May 16 that speaks to our ministry at the Mountain focused on renewal, truth and peace:
“My ministry has begun in the heart of a Jubilee Year, devoted in a particular way to hope. It is a time of conversion and renewal and, above all, an opportunity to leave conflicts behind and embark on a new path, confident that, by working together, each of us in accordance with his or her own sensibilities and responsibilities, can build a world in which everyone can lead an authentically human life in truth, justice and peace.”
