Read Pope Leo XIV's first address from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica
The themes of his speech seemed to suggest he would have continuity with his predecessor Pope Francis, whom Leo XIV thanked in his remarks.
Standing on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica with a large crowd of people in St. Peter's square, Leo XIV spoke in both Italian and Spanish. Here's a translation of his speech:
Peace be with you all!
Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for the flock of God. I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, to all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to the whole earth. Peace be with you!
This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarmed peace and a disarming, humble and persevering peace. It comes from God, God who loves us all unconditionally. We still keep in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome.
The Pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the entire world, that morning of Easter Day. Allow me to follow up on that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God's hands. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us move forward. We are disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge to be reached by God and his love. Help us too, and then each other to build bridges, with dialogue, with encounter, uniting us all to be one people always in peace. Thank you Pope Francis!
I also want to thank all my brother cardinals who have chosen me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk together with you, as a united Church always seeking peace, justice, always trying to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.
I am a son of Saint Augustine, an Augustinian, who said: "with you I am a Christian and for you a bishop." In this sense we can all walk together toward that homeland that God has prepared for us.
To the Church of Rome, a special greeting. We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges, dialogue, always open to receiving, like this square, with open arms. All, all those who need our charity, our presence, dialogue and love.
And if you will allow me a word, greetings to everyone and especially to my dear diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people accompanied their bishop, shared their faith and gave so much, so much to continue to be a faithful Church of Jesus Christ.
To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, of the whole world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always tries to be close especially to those who suffer.
Today is the day of the Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, be close, help us with her intercession and her love.
So I would like to pray with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole Church, for peace in the world and let us ask this special grace to Mary, our Mother.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Bolivia right-wing presidential hopeful vows 'radical change'
One of the front-runners in Bolivia's upcoming presidential election, right-winger Jorge Quiroga, told AFP on Friday the country was poised for "radical change" after two decades of socialist rule marked in recent years by a severe economic crisis. Quiroga, who briefly served as president from 2001 to 2002, is running a close second behind center-right business magnate Samuel Doria Medina in polls for the first round of the election on August 17. The ruling Movement towards Socialism (MAS), founded by three-term ex-president Evo Morales, is shown at rock bottom, with voters poised to punish the party over its handling of the worst crisis in two decades. Basics like fuel and food items are in short supply in the Andean nation, which is running out of the dollars it needs to import essentials. After a rally with supporters in the administrative capital La Paz, Quiroga, 65, said Bolivians faced a period of "radical change (to) regain 20 lost years" -- a reference to the Morales era (2006-2019) and that of his successor, Luis Arce (in power since 2020). Referring to MAS, which was credited with lifting many Bolivians out of poverty during a commodities boom in the 2000s, he declared: "Its cycle is over, its time is up." Quiroga, Doria Medina and even the main left-wing candidate, Andronico Rodriguez, who is polling in third, have all prescribed varying degrees of austerity to turn around Bolivia's finances. Quiroga, a supporter of libertarian Argentine President Javier Milei, has advocated the deepest spending cuts. Year-on-year inflation rose to 25.8 percent in July, the highest level since 2008, driven by a shortage of dollars, which has nearly doubled in value against the local boliviano in a year. Quiroga, a US-educated former finance minister who served as vice president under dictator Hugo Banzer in the 1990s, said if elected he would "change all the laws" to attract investment, including in the energy sector which Morales nationalized in the 2000s. He also vowed a change in international alliances, breaking from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua -- close allies of the Morales and Arce administrations. jac/cb/acb
Fox News
6 days ago
- Fox News
Key aide in IRS' Tea Party targeting controversy put on leave after allegations of new anti-GOP effort
A former deputy to Lois Lerner — who oversaw the IRS division accused of targeting conservative groups during the Obama years — was placed on leave after lawmakers raised alarms that a new sub-department she was leading was becoming politicized. In 2013, Lerner was hauled before Congress, where it was revealed her agency had wrongfully scrutinized tax-exempt applications related to the phrases "Tea Party," "9/12" and "Constitution." The Treasury's inspector general later confirmed "inappropriate criteria" was used to target conservative groups and criticized ineffective oversight of systemic bias. IRS Commissioner of Large Business and International Division Holly Paz – Lerner's then-deputy – was placed on leave last week as lawmakers drew attention to a subordinate work-unit aimed at auditing pass-through businesses that Biden-era Commissioner Danny Werfel had created and assigned her to lead. Werfel called the new work-unit a big step in "ensur[ing] the IRS holds the nation's wealthiest filers accountable," and Paz called it an "important change" in the IRS structure. However, by 2025, lawmakers, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., warned that the pass-thru-business compliance unit had transformed to be "motivated by ideology rather than principles of sound tax administration." "Pass-through entities form the bulk of Main Street businesses across the country. This includes countless family businesses, professional services firms, and real estate ventures that serve as the backbone of our local economies," Blackburn and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., wrote to the Treasury in May. Around that time, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., warned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that Paz's team "has made tongue-in-cheek political comments," including their stated wish to "make basis great again" – a phrase regarding taxation loss/gain that hearkens to President Donald Trump's MAGA slogan. In that regard, Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., wrote to IRS Commissioner Billy Long in July that a Biden-era "basis-shifting transaction rule" had "extended the scope" of enforcement. "American taxpayers and businesses deserve clear and consistent tax rules that allow them to confidently comply with the law," Smucker wrote, adding he and Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., are seeking to have that rule "reconsidered" for the sake of unburdening "Main Street" businesses. Chuck Flint, a former top aide to Blackburn and president of the Alliance for IRS Accountability, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Paz's past targeting of conservative groups makes her "unfit for government service." Flint said her statements to Congress and role as LB&I chief "places a cloud over the IRS." "Paz's Biden-era pass-through unit is now bludgeoning conservative businesses with fines and must be disbanded. Commissioner Long is flexing his muscles on the IRS Deep State and sending a signal to rogue bureaucrats by placing Paz on leave." Blackburn warned in her letter to Bessent that an IRS news release referencing targeting "complex arrangements" lacked clear definitions and created the impression that legitimate business structures could be unfairly targeted based on legal structure versus actual tax compliance risk. "Even more concerning, the announcement explicitly states that the bureaucratic changes were designed primarily to 'achieve its goal of increased audit rates in this complex area'." "This focus on increasing audits rather than improving compliance suggests an agenda-driven approach to enforcement," Blackburn said. In her letter, Ernst warned Bessent that Paz's team members "have also undermined their appearance of impartiality by comparing legally acceptable transactions to obscene material, saying, 'It's one of those 'You know it when you see it' – a joking reference to [Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's] attempt to define pornography. "This team is reportedly acting independently and duplicating existing IRS processes, wasting taxpayer money, and not coordinating with the pre-existing offices," Ernst said. "Most concerning of all, the new pass-through auditors even use a new template for requesting taxpayer information they've deemed 'The Art of the IDR,' (versus 'The Art of the Deal') which treats taxpayers as guilty until proven innocent." "Unfortunately, the Biden administration picked up right where Ms. Lerner and her team left off. On September 20, 2023, then-Commissioner Daniel Werfel announced, with language that resembled Democrat talking points, the creation of a duplicative new work unit [led by Paz] to specifically audit pass-through businesses and partnerships. The new office subjects these businesses to potentially two separate IRS examinations in the same year. "One would think Commissioner Werfel would go to great lengths to avoid hearkening back to previous scandals. Instead, he thumbed his nose at taxpayers by placing Lois Lerner's deputy— Holly Paz—at the helm," Ernst wrote. Lerner was front-and-center during the Obama-era scandal, testifying before Congress as head of the tax-exempt organizations division, as a deluge of reports of targeting right-leaning nonprofits abounded. During the 2013 investigation by the House Oversight Committee, Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Darrell Issa, R-Calif., demanded Paz answer for "inconsistencies" from a transcribed interview with committee staff involving statements about "intervention" against Tea Party groups. A 2015 report by then-Senate Finance Committee leaders Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ronald Wyden, D-Ore., found that in other cases, some liberal terminology was also flagged, including "ACORN," "progressive" and "medical marijuana." "While handled poorly, groups on both sides of the political spectrum were treated the same in their efforts to secure tax-exempt status," Wyden said at the time, while then-Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said Democrats should be equally outraged as Republicans. Fox News Digital reached out to Treasury, the IRS and an email connected to Paz for comment.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Yahoo
Italy's Meloni says it's a 'positive' trade deal was reached but needs to see details
ROME (Reuters) -Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday it is "positive" a trade deal has been reached between the European Union and the United States, adding, however, that she needs to see the details. Washington struck a framework trade deal with the EU imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods. "I consider it positive that there is an agreement, but if I don't see the details I am not able to judge it in the best way," Meloni told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting in Addis Ababa. Italy is one of the biggest European exporters to the U.S., with a trade surplus of more than 40 billion euros. The Italian government, led by a nationalist coalition, had urged its European partners to avoid a direct clash between the two sides of the Atlantic. In a statement, Meloni said that the agreement "ensures stability", adding that the 15% "is sustainable, especially if this percentage is not added to previous duties, as was originally planned." "We are ready to activate support measures at the national level, but we ask that they also be activated at the European level for sectors that will be particularly affected by US tariff measures," she added. The statement was also signed by the leaders of the other two coalition parties: Antonio Tajani of Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini of the League. Solve the daily Crossword
