It is Christmas Day, 2025, on the Central Logia of the Vatican Basilica. Pope Leo XIV, the first US Pope, is here to make his Urbi et Orbi Speech (Latin for “To the City [of Rome] and the World”). This is one of the most solemn blessings the Pope can give, and is usually given on Christmas, Easter, and when the Pope begins his papacy. As the name suggests, the speech is to the one billion faithful Catholics around the world. It itself is a declaration of faith and is a moral appeal. The theme, however, in this speech, is peace. The world has been scarred by war — nearly four years since Russia escalated its war in Ukraine and two years since the war in Gaza, as well as a dozen more.
The Story of Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV was born as Robert Prevost on September 14, 1955, in Chicago. He spent his life in Catholic schools and worked as an altar boy. In 1977, he became a novice at the Order of St. Augustine. In 1982, he received his Master’s in Divinity at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and was ordained a priest that same year. In 1985, he began his missionary work in Peru. He remained there until 1999 when he returned to Chicago. That same year, he was elected prior (leader) of the Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel.
In 2001, he was elected prior general of the Augustinian Order. He served 12 years and was required to stay in Rome. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as apostolic administrator (a temporary head) of the Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru. In 2015, Francis chose Prevost as the Bishop of Chiclayo. In 2023, he was appointed prefect of the Roman Curia’s Dicastery for Bishops, in which he selected which potential bishops he should send to the Pope for final approval. Later the same year, the Pope made Prevost a Cardinal.
When Pope Francis died on April 25, 2025, the Papal Conclave, consisting of every cardinal, came to the Sistine Chapel to choose a new pope. They chose Robert Prevost. He chose the name Leo due to the last Leo, Leo XIII, addressing social issues. He will become more than just the first American Pope.
The Urbi et Orbi
In his speech, Pope Leo XIV prayed for “justice, peace, and stability for Lebanon, Israel, and Syria” and prayed for peace to be restored as a norm in this scarred world. He prayed that the 11 year war in Ukraine would end and that the “clamor of weapons cease.”
Pope Leo XIV also talked about wanting the people to reconnect in “sincere, direct, and respectful dialogue.” Additionally, he also expressed closeness to the victims in the Sahel, Sudan, and the Congo, as well as to people who suffer from human rights abuses and terrorism. He also prayed for violence to end in Haiti and Myanmar. Pope Leo XIV asked the people of Latin America to use their responsibilities to engage in dialogue for good, rather than dividing into partisanship. He also prayed for a reconciliation for the nations of Thailand and Cambodia.
In his speech, he reminded the people of the true meaning of Christmas. He quoted St. Leo the Great by saying, “Today, true peace has come down from heaven,” and that “the Lord’s birth, is the birth of peace.” He reflected on the Nativity, saying that Jesus was born in a stable, for there was no room for him in the inn, and that he was not welcomed. Out of love, he identified himself with the people who were discarded and secluded.
The Pope also reminded the people that it was Jesus’s decision to carry the burden of people’s sin himself. At the time, he said that it is the human responsibility to achieve peace, quoting St. Augustine, “God, who created us without us, will not save us without us,” adding that,“responsibility is the sure way to peace.”
As the speech drew to a close, he said finally, “Christ our hope remains with us always, the door is always open.”