Bishop Conley on the election of Pope Leo XIV
May 8, 2025
Through the clear guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is with great joy that the Catholic Church welcomes a new leader for its Church on earth, the former Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. This first American-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church will now shoulder the responsibilities and burdens of shepherding all Catholics on our journey through this world to eternal life.
Pope Leo XIV brings a wealth of experience to his new office, including time as a missionary and a bishop in Peru, the head of a religious order, and his leadership in the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops. He is a canon lawyer and a theologian. He is the pope God has chosen to lead His Church at this time in history.
The Catholic Church in the United States is a very vibrant Church, with examples of robust parish life, faithful Catholic education and young adults engaging with their Catholic faith. My hope is Pope Leo XIV will bring that energy to the universal Church and to the Vatican, using it to address both the opportunities and the challenges the Church faces.
While it is exciting to have a pope from the United States and I look forward to his first trip back to his homeland, we now share Pope Leo XIV with Catholics around the world.
This is a time of change in the Church, but also a time for continuity and stability. Pope Leo XIV becomes the 267th Bishop of Rome in a line of succession that dates back to St. Peter. Through that entire time, God has guided His Church and He will continue to do so into the future.
In the coming days, we will announce plans for a special Mass of thanksgiving for the election of Pope Leo XIV. In the meantime, I would invite you to join me in prayer for the Holy Father and for the Church.
May God bless Pope Leo XIV and may God bless you today and always. Mary, our Blessed Mother, watch over us and pray for us.
Bishop James D. Conley
Catholic Diocese of Lincoln
