Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected the 267th Pope by the 133 cardinal electors on Thursday, May 8. The new Pontiff of the Catholic Church has chosen Leo XIV as his name. In Peru, even before his election, he was considered among the favorites to become the successor to Pope Francis. We are talking about the American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost Martínez, born in Chicago in 1955, but who also holds Peruvian nationality, according to the country’s press. He obtained it in 2015, the year in which Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru.
During the pontificate of Pope Francis, Cardinal Prevost was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and chaired the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Over the past two years, he has played a leading role in the appointment of bishops around the world. His scope of work also included the ad liminina visits that bishops regularly make to the Vatican to inform on the events of their local Churches. In this way, he made himself known to the College of Cardinals, which had never before been composed of representatives of so many countries of the world.
Like many of us, Father Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R., Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, who participated in the Assembly of the Federation of Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa, at the Santo Afonso Seminary in Aparecida (Brazil), followed the election of Pope Leo XIV minute by minute and commented:
“Today we had the great joy of learning that the new Pope is Leo XIV. I think the choice of his name is very significant. I also think that, in his opening speech, some things have already been revealed for his Petrine Ministry.”
The Superior General of the Redemptorists also recalled the fact that the new Pope is an Augustinian and carried out his pastoral work in Peru with these words:
“It is interesting, because after a Jesuit, we have an Augustinian, so a religious. This one also has a different approach. Another aspect is his presence. He worked for a long time in Peru and even has Peruvian citizenship. So, he is a person very connected to Latin America. I think this will contribute greatly to reflecting on a missionary Church, as he himself said.”
Regarding the words just before the First Blessing “Urbi et Orbi” of the Holy Father Leo XIV, Father Rogério Gomes emphasized his human language:
“It was interesting to see so many young people in St. Peter’s Square (…) when we have a Pope who uses a simpler language, a human language, welcoming, very close to the people. This is also attractive! I hope that this is also a fundamental element to reawaken in the hearts of young people an interest in religious and priestly vocations, as well as lay vocations at the service of the Church.”
(A12.com and Scala News)
You can see and hear Father Rogério Gomes’ commentary in Portuguese:
