Pope Leo XIV delivers his first address to America
- paulette275
- Jun 16
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 17
“We may find that coming together in friendship, building up community, we too can find true meaning in our lives,” Pope Leo XIV
It is no surprise when Chicago baseball fans fill the stands at Rate Field to watch their favorite team, the White Sox.
On June 14, the stadium sold out to cheer another favorite — the Chicagoan, who became the first American pope in history.
The city unleashed their pride, enthusiasm and love for Robert Francis Prevost, the hometown lad who became Pope Leo XIV.
His first address to Americans was videotaped in Rome and broadcast by ABC7 Chicago television news to the world on Saturday afternoon from Sox Park. June 14 was the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Pope Leo began with a reminder.
“The Trinity is a model of God’s love for us. God: Father, Son and Spirit. Three persons in one God live united in the depth of love, in community, sharing that communion with all of us.”
Pope Leo’s eight-minute address included a special message to young people, acknowledging that they may live through difficult, sometimes isolating times. He made numerous references to coming together.
“We may find that coming together in friendship, building up community, we too can find true meaning in our lives,” he said. “We have to look for ways of coming together and promoting a message of hope. Saint Augustine says to us that if we want the world to be a better place, we have to begin with ourselves, we have to begin with our own lives, our own hearts.”
Pope Leo’s invited the young to be open to God’s love and peace, reminding them that God’s love is healing. We sometimes have what Saint Augustine called a “restless heart,” he said.
“That restlessness is not a bad thing, and we shouldn’t look for ways to put out the fire, to eliminate or even numb ourselves to the tensions that we feel, the difficulties that we experience. We should rather get in touch with our own hearts and recognize that God can work in our lives, through our lives, and through us reach out to other people.”
Pope Leo also addressed the subject of this Jubilee Year of Hope.
“You can discover that you, too, are indeed beacons of hope. That light, that perhaps on the horizon is not very easy to see, and yet, as we grow in our unity, as we come together in communion, we can discover that that light will grow brighter and brighter. That light which is indeed our faith in Jesus Christ. And we can become that message of hope, to promote peace and unity throughout the world.”
Pope Leo XIV Address to America, full text and video:
