Pope Leo XIV installed as Bishop of Rome, emphasizes listening to God and others
May 26, 2025
Pope Leo XIV took possession of his cathedral, the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, on May 25, seventeen days after his election and a week after the Mass inaugurating his Petrine ministry.
“Pope Francis frequently encouraged us to reflect on the maternal dimension of the Church and her defining qualities of tenderness, self-sacrifice and the capacity to listen,” Pope Leo preached during the Mass, celebrated in Italian, with Gregorian chants in Latin (booklet, video). “We hope that those qualities will be increasingly present in the people of God everywhere, including here, in our great diocesan family: in the faithful, in pastors, and, first of all, in myself.”
Reflecting on the first reading (Acts 15:1-2, 22-29), Pope Leo recalled that the Church in Jerusalem communicated its decision about Gentile Christians with the words, “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (cf. Acts 15:28).
“In other words, they emphasized that the most important part of the entire event was listening to God’s voice, which made everything else possible,” Pope Leo said. “In this way, they remind us that communion is built primarily ‘on our knees,’ through prayer and constant commitment to conversion. For only in this way can each of us hear within the voice of the Spirit crying out: ‘Abba! Father!’ (Gal 4:6) and then, as a result, listen to and understand others as our brothers and sisters.”
“The Gospel reaffirms this point (cf. Jn 14:23-29),” he continued. “It assures us that we are not alone in making our decisions in life. The Spirit sustains us and shows us the way to follow, ‘teaching’ us and ‘reminding’ us of all that Jesus said to us (cf. Jn 14:26).”
The Pope explained:
Naturally, the more we let ourselves be convinced and transformed by the Gospel—allowing the power of the Spirit to purify our heart, to make our words straightforward, our desires honest and clear, and our actions generous—the more capable we are of proclaiming its message ...
For my part, I would like to express my firm desire to contribute to this great ongoing process by listening to everyone as much as possible, in order to learn, understand and decide things together, as Saint Augustine would say, “as a Christian with you and a Bishop for you.” I would also ask you to support me in prayer and charity, mindful of the words of Saint Leo the Great: “All the good we do in the exercise of our ministry is the work of Christ and not our own, for we can do nothing without him. Yet we glory in him, from whom all the effectiveness of our work is derived.”
“I too express my affection for you and my desire to share with you, on our journey together, our joys and sorrows, our struggles and hopes,” the Pontiff concluded. “I too offer you ‘the little I have and am,’ entrusting it to the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul and of all those other brothers and sisters of ours whose holiness has illuminated the history of this Church and the streets of this city. May the Virgin Mary accompany us and intercede for us.”
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