A Message From our Chaplain: Pope Leo

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7 days ago
2 min read

Good morning to you.

Please, may I share my joy with you now that the new Pope has been elected in keeping with centuries-old traditions? Pope Leo worked in Peru and was a Latin American citizen.

He was a total surprise to me and to my friends, but the more we hear about him, the more delighted we are.

A point of information: the boundary of St Monica’s parish in Hoxton Square includes Tabernacle Gardens and us, of course. This parish is run by a Religious Community called the Augustinians. Pope Leo is an Augustinian and is/was the International leader of this worldwide Religious Order. Thought you might be interested.

“The choice of Leo as his papal name is intriguing. I presume it looks back to Pope Leo XIII at the end of the nineteenth century, who led the Catholic Church’s engagement with the modern world. It may also look back to Pope Leo I, known as the Great. He was Pope in the chaotic fifth century as the Western Empire decayed and new barbarisms threatened. In our own chaotic time, as new challenges appear, the Church cannot retreat into a self-protective world. Pope Leo XIV looks to be the Spirit’s surprising choice to lead a new engagement and to bring fresh hope not just to the Church but to the world."

Echoing the Psalmist, I pray: “May the Lord preserve him and give him life and make him blessed upon the earth”, along with all persons in our world.

Kind wishes,

Bernie Devine SP

Mildmay Chaplain

Header image credit: Rijksmuseum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Inset photograph: Diario La Industria