Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who had been a top contender to be pope, wrote a letter to his hometown newspaper praising the new pontiff, Pope Leo XII. ”I believe that Pope Leo XIV, in addition to the grace of the Lord, will find in his great experience as a religious and a pastor the resources to effectively carry out the ministry that the Lord has entrusted to him,” he wrote in a letter to the Il Giornale di Vicenza.
Parolin expressed deep gratitude for the warm welcome given to the new pontiff, recalling his emotion at the response inside the conclave after then Cardinal Robert Prevost accepted his election. ”I believe I am not revealing any secret,” Parolin wrote, “if I say that a very long and warm applause followed that ‘acceptance’ that made him the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church.”
Parolin, who served as secretary of state for nearly 12 years under Pope Francis, said Pope Leo XIV was capable of facing with balance the challenges the church faces. ”What struck me most of all about him was the serenity that shone from his face in such intense and, in a certain sense, ‘dramatic’ moments, because they totally change a man’s life,” Parolin said. The cardinal said he collaborated with Prevost during his tenure as head of the Dicastery for Bishops.
Parolin also said he was confident in the new pope’s abilities, highlighting his gifts of listening, balance and deep knowledge of ecclesial situations. Parolin said Leo’s connection with the spirituality of St. Augustine is a strength for the new papal ministry. The letter concluded with an invitation to prayer and trust, stressing that the election of Leo was the fruit of a path guided by the Holy Spirit. “We are close to him with our affection, our obedience and our prayer,” he said.
Spanish bishops speak out after leaks of their meeting with Leo XIV
The executive committee of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) meeting in Madrid this week, issued an official statement regarding the leaks
