Pope Leo 14 completed this Sunday (25) the last steps to become the bishop of Rome, a position traditionally held by all the pontiffs since the first, St. Peter.
In Mass held at the Church that is headquartered by the Catholic Church in the world, the St. John of Lateran stands in Rome, Leo said to the priests and faithful present: “I am a Roman” – the phrase would have been said by Sao Paulo when he was arrested, ensuring that he would be taken to Rome by his captors.
Agostininan, the Pope also repeated the words of St. Augustine, saying, “With you, I am a Christian, and for you, I am Bishop,” adding, “Today, I can also say that I am Roman.”
In the homily, Leo emphasized his view of an open Catholic Church. “I want to listen and learn, I want to understand and decide together,” the Pope told the Curia members present. With the ceremony, the American has officially become bishop of Rome, but he should still name a vicar to manage the archdiocese, as is traditionally done by the Pope.
The ceremony came after Leo visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Maior, where Pope Francis is buried, and the Basilica of St. Paul Extramuros – at the end of St. John’s Lateran and St. Peter’s Basilica, the four form the so -called papal basilica, the most important outside the holy land.
Leo said he feels “a serious but passionate responsibility” to serve the Romans. He was welcomed in the church by the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, from the Democratic Party, in the center left.
