He Initially Wanted to Call Himself Augustine" "Conservative" Cardinal Fernando Filoni told IlFattoQuotidiano.it on 14 May that Cardinal Prevost had initially considered naming himself Augustine: "'In the end, he thought it would be better to be Leo." Cardinal Filoni was the one who counted the votes aloud in the fourth ballot. "Undoubtedly," he continued, "that was the moment when anticipation turned into reality. At that point, I stopped. We all stood up when I announced that we had reached 89 votes, but the ballot was not yet over, so there was only a clapping." "Of course, the candidate, who had now become a reality as the elected pope, remained seated, clearly moved by his brethren's appreciation. Then, after this initial moment, the counting resumed until the end." "Personally, I am very satisfied," Filoni concluded, "but I think I can say that the other cardinals also expressed great satisfaction and joy. This was reinforced by the human sympathy and cordiality that Pope Leo immediately displayed. It is a choice that truly left us happy." https://gloria.tv/post/2Y1eUgrh2QtJ2yeGNVHBNjjf1
We almost had a pope without a numeral in his name again, and maybe he declined the idea for the same reason no pope has chosen to be called Peter until now.
It appears to be an urban myth. I apologise for misleading you as I was misled. There is a lot of fakery going around connected with the new Holy Father. Soppy quotes that don't come from him at all. There's a wonderful meme going round: Does anyone wake up in the morning feeling happy, and then realise it's because we have a new Pope? One who seems to love us back. It's amazing how already he is uniting the church, from the more progressive to the orthodox. I've read a few boos - our own dear Padraig, and Fr David Nix come to mind - but on the whole people are very happy about it. I'm very impressed with Peter Kwasniewski, his comments have been excellent. And now we have an answer to the rhetorical question, Is the Pope a Catholic? - YES he is!!!
I really love this reflection by Fr. Steve. Im hopeful that Pope Leo is pointing and guiding us to answer in the same way the first pope did. Through our own crosses, pains, doubts, weakness we still can answer- You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. A Reflection – The New Pope’s First Homily By Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB Pope Leo XIV’s first homily last week in the Sistine Chapel was delivered to the cardinals who elected him. His reflection mainly focused on taking a good look at what people think about Jesus in today’s world. Pope Leo preached particularly about one line in Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus asked his apostles about what people in the world at that time thought of him. If you recall he asked them, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13). Leo stated that the question is not insignificant. He’s right! It is an essential question to ask ourselves today. Before we renew our efforts in a new and zealous evangelization in the world, we need to survey the spiritual landscape of today’s culture. We have to look at what’s going on in the hearts of people regarding Christianity and spirituality, virtues and values and their openness to God. Even before we start preaching and teaching about the goodness, beauty and truth of salvation in Christ, we have to analyze people’s openness to it. The questions Jesus asked the apostles we ask ourselves now: What are people going through? What are they searching for? What are the obstacles and road blocks that are preventing them from having and holding onto a real personal relationship with God? Going back to the time when Jesus asked Peter and his fellow apostles that question, here is an excerpt from Leo’s homily: Who do people say that the Son of Man is? If we reflect on the scene at the time he asked that question, we might find two possible answers which characterize two different attitudes. Matthew tells us that this conversation between Jesus and his disciples took place in the beautiful town of Caesarea Philippi, filled with luxurious palaces, set in a magnificent natural landscape at the foot of Mount Hermon, but also a place of cruel power plays and the scene of betrayals and infidelity. This setting speaks to us of a world that considers Jesus a completely insignificant person…, once his presence becomes irksome because of his demands for honesty and his stern moral requirements, they do not hesitate to reject and eliminate him. Secondly there is the other possible response to Jesus’ question: that of ordinary people. For them, the Nazarene is not a charlatan, but an upright man, one who has courage, who speaks well and says the right things, like other great prophets in the history of Israel. That is why they do follow him, at least for as long as they can do so without too much risk or inconvenience. Yet to them he is only a man, and therefore, in times of danger, during his Passion, they too abandon him and depart disappointed. Pope Leo states that these two attitudes are very much the same today as they were 2,000 years ago. As we preach Jesus Christ – the Way, the Truth and the Life – there will be outright rejection by many and there will be others who are open but won’t stick with Jesus and the Christian message when the going gets tough. Pope Leo is realistic – the good soil spoken about by our Lord in the parable of the seed and the sower is hard to find! In our world there are many hearts that have been hardened and are seemingly impenetrable. Others are open to God, but their faith gets choked out by the crosses in life – the weeds and thorns. Pope Leo reflected that in many settings in our society today, the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent (settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power or pleasure). Going into this cultural milieu an evangelizer might be discouraged from the get go. Why bother when you will be mocked, opposed, despised or at best pitied? Yet, Leo tells us – do it anyway! It is precisely to the places and peoples where hearts and minds are hardened that a renewed missionary outreach is desperately needed. We go to a world that needs faith. Our culture’s lack of faith has resulted in the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family, and so many other wounds that afflict our society. So that’s where we’ve got to go. We need to be brave and go there! Today, too, there are many settings in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or an ideal but unrealistic philosopher. This is true not only among non-believers but also among many baptized Christians, who thus end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism. This is the world in which we live. And it is here where we are called to bear witness to a joyful faith in Jesus. Therefore, it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter – “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). And mean it! Our personal relationship with the Lord, and our commitment to a daily journey of conversion, is crucial. A Litany of the Way Prayer for the Journey As Jesus sought the quiet of the desert... Teach us to pray. As Jesus washed the feet of his disciples... Teach us to love. As Jesus promised Paradise to the thief on the cross... Teach us to hope. As Jesus called Peter to walk to him across the water... Teach us to believe. As the child Jesus sat among the elders in the temple... Teach us to seek answers. As Jesus in the garden opened his mind and heart to God’s will... Teach us to listen. As Jesus reflected on the Law and the Prophets... Teach us to learn. As Jesus used parables to reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom... Teach us to teach.
Great minds Brian! I posted the same meme on another thread, after seeing it on Facebook. There’s another one with the same words but ‘from’ Leo XIII!
Pope Leo XIV affirms family is based on union between a man and a woman, unborn has inherent dignity Pope Leo XIV appears on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican to bless the crowd below on May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) BY NICOLE WINFIELD Updated 6:31 AM BRT https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-leo-peace-abortion-f0678b67da0dc74b4bc7e6e10a77a23e
Fr. Murr has recently stated on a Full Sheen Ahead Youtube video that this Pope may soon make enemies, because he is standing against the world. I LIKE a Pope who makes these kind of enemies!
They will look for anything condemnatory in his past. The most ironic thing is that just a few days ago, Cardinal Hollerich said that Pope Leo would not revoke the document Fiducia Supplicans. Perhaps the liberals who voted for him fear a new John Paul II — even in terms of a long reign?
I'm already running into mainstream articles expressing "concern" about Pope Leo. One of them was something about LGBTQ+ Catholics being worried about him.
I was looking at some important dates in the life of Robert Francis Prevost on the Brazilian Portuguese version of Wikipedia, and I found it interesting that Francis appointed him head of the Dicastery for Bishops on January 30, 2023—the eve of the Feast of St. John Bosco—while his episcopal ordination took place on December 14, 2014, the Feast of St. John of the Cross. Perhaps this symbolic connection to the two saints named John suggests that he is the pope of the prophetic dream of the Italian saint. The connection to the Feast of St. John of the Cross might also signify a light in the dark nights of the world—something rooted in John of the Cross’s theology as a personal Christian experience, which resonates with the words of the new pope in his first homily.
I have not been posting but have been reading and praying. I am so amazed Purple Flower at all those so called coincidences and I feel God is following you everywhere. Awesome. He is so happy with you.
That's so kind and encouraging of you to say, Rory. Thank you. I've been struggling a bit with sadness today, over the babies I lost in the last few months. Trying to remember God's greatest gift is suffering and Mary only promised happiness in the next world.
I actually said a prayer for you yesterday asking our Lord to console you. You just popped into my Rosary
