New Pope Elected - A Joyful Call to Unity

Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters,

The universal Church rejoices: a new Successor of Saint Peter has been elected to shepherd God’s people along the path of faith, peace, and unity. With joy, hope, and prayer, we welcome our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, elected today following the conclave of the College of Cardinals.

Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, Pope Leo XIV brings to the papacy both American roots and deep pastoral experience shaped by years of missionary and episcopal service in Peru. A professed Augustinian friar and twice elected Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, his spiritual life has been nourished by the wisdom of Saint Augustine and a commitment to communal discernment, humility, and service. Most recently, he served as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Christ reminds us:

“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” (Mt 16:18).

This promise, echoing through the centuries, reaches us today with renewed strength and tenderness.

In this Jubilee Year 2025, a year marked by hope, the election of a new pope stands as a powerful sign of God’s presence at the heart of human history. The Jubilee invites us to interior renewal, to embrace divine mercy, and to journey together toward a future illuminated by the Gospel.

We give thanks for the luminous witness of the popes who have come before, especially our beloved Pope Francis, whose pontificate has been for me a spiritual and missionary compass throughout my episcopal ministry. Through their fidelity, their openness to the Spirit, and their love for the Church, they have served as instruments of God’s mercy and peace — gifts our world so deeply needs.

Looking to the future, our diocesan Church continues its mission of evangelization: inspired by our young people, rooted in families, attentive to the poor, migrants, and refugees, and committed to the care of our common home. In communion with the Holy Father, each of us is called — according to our vocation — to respond to Christ’s urgent invitation to be witnesses of the Good News.

I therefore invite you, dear faithful of Montreal, to accompany our new Pope Leo XIV in prayer. May he be strengthened by grace, supported by our filial affection, and guided by the Holy Spirit in his mission of service to the Church and to the world.

May Mary, Queen of the World, watch over him and each one of us.

+Christian Lépine
Archbishop of Montreal

Downloadable PDF

CCCB Resources 

Prayer Card for the New Pope