Consolidará los 2.000 años cristianos

Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Pope in history, appears before his followers on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8, 2025, in Vatican City. The smoke from the fourth conclave puff for – Stefano Spaziani – Europa Press

The Archbishop of Oviedo, Jesús Sanz Montes, has praised the election of the new Pope Leo XIV, the American Robert Prevost, giving «thanks to God» for the choice. In a statement sent to the media after the conclave announcement, Sanz Montes stated that «with Pope Leo XIV, God will remember, reorient, or consolidate the 2,000 Christian years.»

«So many saints, martyrs, and shepherds who have brought God’s light in our darkness, His peace in conflicts, His balm in all wounds, His grace in all corners. We thank God for the new Pope and accompany him with filial affection and our prayers,» he said.

Pope Leo XIV, elected on Wednesday afternoon after the white smoke in the Sistine Chapel, has presented himself as a missionary and dialoguing pontiff, with an explicit call for building bridges and seeking peace and justice. In his first words from the balcony of St. Peter’s, he asked the faithful to «help us build bridges» and emphasized the need for a united, synodal Church that is close to those who suffer.