May 8, 2025 was a day of jubilation marking the election of a new pope, namely Pope Leo XIV, an event which unveils the global nature of the Catholic Church that walks hand-in-hand with the vulnerable and the needy in all parts of the world.

At a time when the world is going through a serious stage of hopelessness marked by division, fracture, and conflagrations, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has been elected to lead the Divine Catholic Church, as well as to provide spiritual and moral guidance to the global community that has regularly been adrift by moving away from the path of peace and reconciliation.

Following his election, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV greeted the faithful and the world invoking peace, and pledging to work for a united Church that is faithful to Lord Jesus and to the Holy Gospel. He said, "Peace with you! Dearest brothers and sisters, this was 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 and all people, wherever they are; and all the peoples, and all the earth: Peace be with you." He added, "This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarming and humble and preserving peace. It comes from God. God, who loves all of us, without any limits or conditions. Let us keep in our ears the weak but always brave voice of Pope Francis, who blessed Rome - the Pope who blessed Rome and the world that day on the morning of Easter."

The resounding message of peace that His holiness Pope Leo XIV has made is just a reminder that the world is in dire need for this peace, bearing in mind that the absence of genuine peace snowballs into the destruction of all sources of life, and catapults the future generations into the abyss of despair.

The call for peace is just the crux of the world's imminent needs. It is the aspiration of the suffering peoples and the message of the Holy Bible as expressed by Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the Pope's pledge to work for a united Church that is faithful to Jesus and to the Gospel is the cardinal aspiration of Christians living in all parts of the world since every believer is one member of Christ's "body" on Earth.

It is important in this regard to recall that the Pope's Episcopal motto is “In Illo uno unum”—words pronounced by Saint Augustine in a sermon on Psalm 127 to explain that “although we Christians are many, in the One Christ we are one.”

May the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ guide Pope Leo XIV with Divine wisdom and perspicacity, as well as enable him to help bring about global peace and attain Christian unity. He is the successor of St. Peter whom humanity needs to continue the mission of building bridges of love and hope through dialogue and encounter, while united as one people proceeding on the path of peace and Christian unity.

Pope Leo XIV, may Lord Jesus bless you; be your guard; provide you with the needed help and divine wisdom to attain your noble and divine message of global peace and Christian unity.