The choice of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV has been received with joy and deep gratitude from the bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, who highlight their close relationship with the Church in the region.
The new Pontiff formed as a missionary and developed a fundamental part of his pastoral ministry in Peru. Until his election, he presided over the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
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Peru, mission land of the new pontiff
Through a statementthe bishops of Peru expressed that the news was welcomed with joy and gratitude.
“The Holy Father knows our land in depth: from the hot sand of our coasts, the indomitable force of our Sierra and the green heart of our Amazon,” they said.
They stressed that, during their passage through the country, “he strengthened faith with his message attentive to the needs of the humble, with his wise and prudent word that he educated in the search for truth, with his close closeness to all, believers and distant, always moved by the love of Jesus Christ.”
They also recalled their service to the Peruvian Church as vice president of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo and Apostolic Administrator of Callao, “where he knew how to exercise his leadership with wisdom, humility and a deep love for the people of God.”
“His closeness, his timely word, his spirit of communion and his commitment to the most needy have left an indelible mark on our Church and in our society,” the Peruvian prelates concluded.
Mexico entrusts it with the Virgen de Guadalupe
In Mexico, the bishops of the country They entrusted it to the intercession of Santa María de Guadalupe to “accompany and strengthen it in this mission that our Lord Jesus Christ trusts him at the head of his Church, so that we can walk together, in communion and synodality, after the footprints of Christ Good Shepherd.”
At the same time, they assured their “subsidiary obedience” and thanked their “generous yes by accepting this mission with faith and hope.”
Central America and the Caribbean: “May the Holy Spirit hold the Pope”
In El Salvador, the bishops DISTANCARON His example as “luminous docility of heart, the courage of the servant of God always willing to obey and let himself be driven by the voice of the Lord, which has called him to be the rock on which he will continue to build his church.”
Cuban bishops, meanwhile, They qualified The choice as a “Pascual Don” and assured their prayers “so that the Holy Spirit holds the Pope in the tasks he will have to face.”
They also pointed out that “we have reinforced us in hope that the election of the new Pontiff has been welcomed with joy for so many in this town.”
Colombia and confidence in reconciliation and peace
In your messageColombia’s bishops stressed that Pope Leo XIV knows Latin American reality, which will contribute to “the search for forgiveness, reconciliation and peace, and will be the foundation of unity and communion in the Church” in his country.
The Bishops of Colombia invited all the faithful to receive Pope Leo XIV “with love and prayer, to sustain their ministry with our spiritual closeness and to renew the commitment to build a united, synodal and fraternal church.”
Venezuela entrusts the Virgin of Coromoto
The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference saidin the name of the bishops and the people, their “closeness and subsidiary devotion” and asked the Virgin of Coromoto to “protect with its intercession the new bishop of Rome and successor of the apostle St. Peter.”
In Brazil they remember their peace message
The Brazilian episcopate celebrated This Thursday the election of the new Pope, who in his first words made a call to peace: “One of the fundamental points of the doctrine is the common good, the good among the peoples, La Paz,” said Bishop Ricardo Hoepers, general secretary of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil.
Argentina and a “spirit of communion, hope and gratitude”
In Argentina, the bishops lived the moment of the election gathered in the plenary assembly, and They spread a video celebrating its appearance on the papal balcony. Subsequently, they said that moment “in the spirit of communion, hope and gratitude.”
They invited Catholics to raise prayers for the new Pope and expressed: “We renew our communion with the Holy Father and our will to walk, as a church that pilgrims in Argentina, in fidelity to the Gospel, in the synodal spirit and with a missionary heart.”
Diego López Colín
I am a graduate of journalism at the Carlos Septién García school with experience of religious institutional communication. Since 2016 I write for digital media and, since 2018, I report the most important news about the Catholic event in Mexico for the Ewtn news channel. ACI Press correspondent in Mexico since 2023.