By Currents News
Melissa Butz Corsi is with Currents News in St. Peter’s Square, and tells us more about Pope Leo XIV’s first Urbi et Orbi blessing.
Christine Persichette: Melissa, what can we make of his first message to the world?
Melissa Butz-Corsi: The very first thing that he said when he came out to address the crowd was peace be with you, your families and the world. What a beautiful message, and he said that throughout his whole address. In fact, he also reminded everyone that God loves you all, he said, just very inclusive.
He remembered Francis‘s legacy, and also spoke about how he would really like a Church that is united, one that builds bridges, and one that engages in dialogue. Before he said the Urbi et Orbi blessing, he said to pray together a Hail Mary, and then he prayed that in Italian as the bishop of Rome before he said the blessing.
CP: The man the conclave chose, Cardinal Robert Prevost, picked the name Leo as his papal name. Tell us about the significance of that.
MBC: The name that pope will choose is very significant and it basically defines his whole papacy. The fact that he chose this name means that he also was really honoring Pope Leo XIII – he also mentioned that in his address.
And why did he do that? Pope Leo XIII was a pope who fought for social justice and social issues. He became known as the pope for workers because he fought for a fair wage for everyone.
He also was very advanced in modern and many social doctrines at the time, and he also was one that really fought to revive the theology of St. Augustine. We know that Cardinal Prevost was also the prior of the Augustinian order as an Augustinian.
CP: Also, he is dressed a bit fancier than Pope Francis was when he first stepped out. Why is that?
MBC: I think we all kind of got used to the simple garb that Pope Francis donned for 12 years. There’s nothing wrong with more traditional, fancy clothes that he came out with.
There’s a lot of significance in each different piece of clothing in each different item that they put on their body. For example, Pope Benedict XVI – we often saw him in those red shoes. Those are just a symbol of so many things. One of the things is it’s a symbol that they are under the submission of Jesus.
Secondly, it’s a reminder of the blood that Jesus shed on the cross and the blood that was on his feet for all of us. It’s also a reminder of the Holy Spirit, and it’s the color of red for martyrdom. It also is a sign of respect and dignity for the role of pope as a successor of St. Peter.
CP: Currents News reporter Michelle Powers mentioned St. John Lateran. Why does the pope have to go there?
MBC: Remember, the pope is not only the head of the Catholic Church, he is also the bishop of Rome. He has to go to the Cathedral of Rome. He’ll say one of his first masses, normally within a week. He also goes there because St. John Lateran is known as the mother of all churches of the world.
It was the very first Christian church that was built after the Edict of Constantine in 1313 A.D. It’s a very old church – 1,700 years old. Because of that, popes used to actually live there, they lived there for 1,000 years – only living at Saint Peter‘s Basilica for about 600 years.