Australians across religious and political spheres have welcomed the appointment of American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV.
Pope Leo XIV succeeds Pope Francis, who died aged 88 on April 21, becoming the first American and first native English speaker to ascend to the papacy.
His election comes as significant news for over five million Catholics in Australia, representing roughly 20 percent of the population.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated the new pope on X, describing the event as a moment of “joy and hope” for Catholics worldwide.
Clergy Reflect on New Leadership
Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli shared a statement offering blessings on behalf of the local Catholic community.“With profound joy, I extend heartfelt congratulations to our newly elected Holy Father, and Bishop of Rome, Pope Leo XIV,” he wrote.
“I offer heartfelt prayers for His Holiness as he assumes the great responsibility of Successor to Saint Peter.”
He concluded with a traditional benediction, “Ad multos annos [may you have many years], Holy Father!”
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, also welcomed the new pontiff, calling it a pivotal moment for the global Church and beyond.
“This represents a momentous event in the life of the Catholic Church, the wider community of Christian believers, and, in many respects, the whole world,” he stated.
“He will be warmly welcomed by the whole Church as a man of God steeped in the rich spirituality of his Augustinian Religious Order.”
A Pope of Peace, Simplicity and Connection
Australian Catholic leaders have described Pope Leo XIV as empathetic, open-minded, and down-to-earth.“He is a great listener,” said Archbishop Comensoli, who has met the new pope several times.
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher echoed the sentiment, saying Leo’s religious background would shape a compassionate papacy.
“Like the late Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV will bring to the Church the experience of being part of a religious order with an emphasis on simplicity and community,” Archbishop Fisher said.
He added that Leo’s first public words as pope struck a meaningful tone.
“It was very moving that the Holy Father opened his first address to a watching world with a greeting of peace, and repeated the central truth of the gospel, that God loves all of us ‘without any limits or conditions.’”
Pope Leo XIV previously served for decades in Peru and more recently led the Vatican’s office responsible for appointing bishops, experience church leaders say will inform his papacy.
Both Prime Minister Albanese and Archbishop Fisher have invited Pope Leo XIV to attend the 2028 International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney.
