Papal Transition

This is the full text of the homily delivered by Pope Leo XIV on May 20, 2025, the day the Holy Father visited the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome and prayed before the tomb of St. Paul.

Get to know Pope Leo through this list of 10 things he’s actually said in the first days of his pontificate.

Father Lucho Palomino, who serves the Pelican Valley Area Catholic Community, became familiar with Pope Leo XIV during his seven years in formation for the priesthood in Peru.

As the news of the new pope’s election spread, parish staffs and schools around the diocese took a break from their meetings and classes to tune in and watch.

As tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square and throughout Vatican City, watch parties popped up on the campuses of Saint John’s University, the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary.

Less than 48 hours after being elected, Pope Leo XIV got in the front seat of a minivan and traveled 40 miles southeast from the Vatican to pray at a Marian shrine cared for by his Augustinian confreres.

On May 8, when white smoke rose over St. Peter’s Square, signaling the election of Leo XIV, Peru seemed to hold its breath. Schools went silent. Restaurants turned up their televisions. Taxi drivers, hairdressers and shopkeepers paused mid-conversation.

The Catholic community is alive, beautiful and strong, and it is up to its pastors to protect and nourish the faithful and to help bring God’s hope to the whole world, Pope Leo XIV said.