President Lazarus Chakwera and Catholic bishops in the country have joined billions of people globally in congratulating Cardinal Robert Prevost on his election as the 267th Pope.
In a message of goodwill conveyed by State House yesterday, Chakwera said he, alongside the First Lady Monica, hold hands with both Catholics and non-Catholics around the world in celebrating “this moment of grace, unity and renewal”.
Leo XIV.| Nation
Cardinals from 70 countries on Thursday elected 69-year-old Prevost as head of the church, becoming the first American Pontiff.
“His acceptance of this sacred mission reflects deep faith and servant leadership in a world longing for hope, reconciliation and justice,” reads Chakwera’s message.
He said Malawi as a nation grounded in faith and moral values offers its continued spiritual solidarity and prayerful support for the new head of the church, who has adopted the name Pope Leo XIV.
Meanwhile, Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops (MCCB) secretary general Father Valeriano Mtseka has said the local church “gratefully thank God for the gift of the new shepherd, Pope Leo XIV”.
“He is known for synodality which involves participation of all the faithful in the church and social justice in which he believes care for the life at every stage and care for environment.
“With this in mind, it is our belief that he will continue to be a beacon of hope and source of unity to all,” he said.
The Chicago-born Pope, and a former Archbishop of Chiclayo in Peru, in his first public words, said: “May peace be with all of you” as he appeared to thousands of people that gathered below the St Peter’s Square balcony in Vatican.
The new leader of the 1.4 billion Catholic community also thanked the cardinals who elected him during a conclave that lasted two days [Wednesday and Thursday].
Before his appearance, white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel chimney and the bells of St Peter’s rang out, signalling that the 133 cardinals had elected a new Pope.
The new Pope, who will be installed on May 18, succeeds Pope Francis who died of stroke after an “irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse” on April 21 this year. And yesterday, Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass in English and Italian in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
