District Superior Letter: On the New Holy Father
The following is a letter on the election of Pope Leo XIV from Fr. John Fullerton, the District Superior of the Society of Saint Pius X in the United States.
Dear faithful,
The election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church has been a momentous occasion. Taking the name Leo XIV, it seems that everyone from professional “Vaticanists” to the everyman in the pew is scrutinizing every word uttered from the Sovereign Pontiff’s lips and every gesture he makes in public. Moreover, the entire pontificate of his predecessor, Leo XIII, is being examined to see if it may provide some insight into what the future holds for Leo XIV’s reign and, indeed, the Catholic Church.
As an apostolate of the Catholic Church, the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) prays for Pope Leo XIV at every Mass and offers prayers daily for the success of his reign. The task he has been called to is formidable. The state of the world appears dire, and the Church remains beset by a crisis that has lasted for nearly six decades. Now this man, born and raised in our own country, is charged with the care of 1.4 billion souls across the globe. As such, it is imperative that all of us—the priests, religious, and lay faithful who attend the Society’s chapels—pour out our prayers for the Pope with all the fervor we can muster.
I know it is tempting to go on social media to see what the “experts” are saying about this Pontiff. Certainly, his past statements on some of the most polarizing issues in the Church are a matter of public record. However, I would encourage you not to be overly influenced by the “online world” and especially in these early days of his pontificate. In a spirit of charity, I would urge all of us to keep the Holy Father in your prayers and hold him in your hearts.
For our part, we pray that, with the help of God’s grace, we will continue the mission of our heavenly patron, St. Pius X, to “restore all things in Christ,” especially the Sacred Traditions of Holy Mother Church while continuing to form holy priests who will travel this great land of ours—the land of Pope Leo XIV—to provide the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and all sacraments to the faithful in accordance with the traditional Roman Rite.
May Pope Leo XIV faithfully fill the shoes of St. Peter and strengthen the faithful, spread the Gospel, and never waver in telling the world that what it needs above all else is Our Lord Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection gives all men and women hope of eternal life.
