Archbishop Gomez celebrated Mass in Thanksgiving for new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV

Today, Archbishop José H. Gomez presided a Mass to celebrate the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope.

“So in this Holy Mass, we thank God for the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost, who has taken the name Pope Leo XIV,” said Archbishop Gomez during the homily. “And I know all of us have been moved to watch the scenes from St. Peter’s after the election — the first time that the Pope gave his blessing to the people in the Vatican. There were so many young people cheering for our new Holy Father: young families, young priests, and young religious and consecrated men and women.”

Bishop Albert M. Bahhuth, Auxiliary Bishop of the San Fernando Pastoral Region and Bishop Matthew Elshoff, O.F.M. Cap., Auxiliary Bishop for the Los Angeles Pastoral Region and other clergy of the Archdiocese concelebrated the Mass which was the official Archdiocesan observance marking the election of the new Holy Father.

“As we know, our new pope has taken the name Leo, which has a long, inspiring history in the Church. The first Leo was the first pope to be called ‘great.’ In a time of heresy, he fought for the truth about Jesus Christ and the dignity of the human person,” continued Archbishop Gomez. “The most recent Pope Leo, Leo XIII, was also a great defender of truth and human dignity in a time of confusion and revolution. So I’m praying that Pope Leo XIV, will be courageous in confronting the challenges of our times.”

Members of the Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros attended the Mass, representing the Catholic Peruvian community in Los Angeles as Pope Leo XIV spent many years of his ministry in Peru.

“So I am praying that our new Pope Leo XIV will inspire all of us in the Church to find new ways to bring God to every restless heart in the whole world,” said the Archbishop as he concluded the homily. “So today, we especially pray for him as he starts his time as the new Pope. We accompany him with our prayers and our love that he will be a holy Pope for all of us.”

The livestream of the Mass is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6RACbM6bC8&t=16s. Archbishop Gomez’ press conference on the announcement of the new Pope and more information from the Archdiocese on Pope Leo XIV is available at https://lacatholics.org/habemus-papam/.

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