LOOP POPE WATCH: Pope Leo challenges media to promote peace

MONDAY, MAY 12 - POPE WATCH POPE LEO CALLS ON MEDIA TO PROMOTE PEACE  Pope Leo XIV today in his first address to the media called for the release of journalists imprisoned for reporting on the truth and called on journalists to be peacemakers. "Blessed are the peacemakers," is "a beatitude that challenges all of us, but it is particularly relevant to you," Pope Leo told those who work in media. READ HISTORIC: POPE LEO BECOMES FIRST AUGUSTINIAN POPE  The recent election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV marks the first time in history that the Vicar of Christ comes from the Order of Saint Augustine. Pope Leo entered the Augustinian order in 1977. After his ordination in 1982 and more than 20 years in Peru as a missionary, seminary rector, and eventually bishop, he was elected prior general of the Augustinians in 2001.  READ THE MEANING BEHIND POPE LEO'S COAT OF ARMS  Pope Leo XIV's coat of arms draws on his Augustinian background and reflects his desire to embrace unity and communion during his pontificate. His motto, "In Illo uno unum" ("In the One, we are one), is a reference to a treatise by Saint Augustine in which the saint explains that "although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one."  READ POPE LEO'S MAY CALENDAR RELEASED  The Vatican has released the official liturgical schedule for Pope Leo XIV's first month as pontiff, marking a historic period of inaugural ceremonies, traditional basilica installations, and the first priestly ordinations of his papacy. Here are the details.  READ 'IT'S BOB!' FORMER CLASSMATE RECALLS STUDYING WITH POPE  Missionary priest Father Ken Mazur has shared his memories of studying alongside then-seminarian Robert Francis Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, offering personal insights into the character of the new pontiff and what his election means for the Catholic Church in the United States. "When I heard 'Robertum Franciscum' [during the announcement of the new pope], I went: 'Oh my […], it's Bob!'"  READ NORWEGIAN BISHOP POINTS OUT INTELLECTUAL POWER BEHIND NEW PAPACY  Bishop Erik Varden of Trandheim, a prominent Norwegian writer and monk, recently highlighted that Pope Leo has heavyweight theologians as patrons of his papacy. He is a son "of Augustine, that supremely intelligent, compassionate, yet uncompromising prober of the human condition, who knew how to orient hearts and minds towards God in such a way that his words resound still with undiminished power," Bishop Varden wrote.  READ CARDINAL ZEN RETURNS TO HONG KONG  Anti-communism advocate Cardinal Joseph Zen, 93, has returned from the Vatican to Hong Kong, where a court had granted him temporary use of his passport — which the government had confiscated in 2022 — to attend Pope Francis' funeral.  READ NAGASAKI SURVIVORS HOPE FOR PAPACY OF PEACE  Survivors of the Nagasaki atomic bombings are sharing their desire for peace to be a central theme in the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, who once visited Nagasaki himself about 20 years ago. "I want this message to spread around the world," says 93-year-old survivor Terumi Tanaka. "We must not use nuclear weapons."  READ PRAY WITH US  Please pray with us this short prayer for the new pope: Lord God, keep Pope Leo XIV close to Your Sacred Heart. Guide him in truth, strengthen him in grace, and let his every step draw the Church nearer to You. Amen. PRAY & SHARE Paid for by CatholicVote Civic Action, a 501(c)(4) organization. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here. CATHOLICVOTE  |  PO Box 3310  |  Carmel, IN 46082  |  (317) 669-6127