100 days of Pope Leo XIV

Around 100 days ago, on 8 May, white smoke announced the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as our new Holy Father. We look at five inspiring quotes from Pope Leo XIV’s first 100 days and how they help us to identify some of the key themes of his papacy so far.

Peace be with you!

POPE LEO XIV

With these four powerful words, Pope Leo greeted the world, following his election as Pontiff. “It is the peace of the risen Christ,” the pope continued. “A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering.”

This pursuit of peace has been a central theme in Leo XIV's early papacy. He has repeatedly prayed for those affected by violence and called for an end to conflicts, notably in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and the Middle East. The Holy Father has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and spoken to the Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to him to make “a gesture that would favour peace”.

Join Pope Leo in praying for peace in our world

Nature itself is reduced at times to a bargaining chip, a commodity to be bartered for economic or political gain.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION MESSAGE, 2025

Echoing the profound ecological concerns of Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV has unequivocally underscored the Church's commitment to the care of creation.

In the gardens of the papal summer estate in Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father celebrated the first Mass for the Care of Creation, calling for prayers “for conversion of many people, both inside and outside the Church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for our common home.”

Urgency also characterised the call for “prayer, determination and concrete action” in Pope Leo’s message for the 2025 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, in which he spoke of nature being reduced to a “bargaining chip”.

The poor are not a distraction for the Church, but our beloved brothers and sisters, for by their lives, their words and their wisdom, they put us in contact with the truth of the Gospel

WORLD DAY OF THE POOR MESSAGE, 2025

Formed by his years living among communities experiencing poverty in Peru, Pope Leo has been clear in calling for a Church that proclaims justice and walks beside the marginalised and vulnerable.

In his inaugural Mass the Pope condemned the prevalent “economic paradigm that exploits the earth's resources and marginalises the poorest.” He has spoken of the importance of reflecting on the “remission of public debt and ecological debt” and in June a Vatican-backed "Jubilee Report” was published, with thirty world-leading economists calling for urgent action to tackle unjust debt.

In the Jubilee Year of Hope Leo XIV calls us to recognise those experiencing poverty as protagonists of hope who “by their lives, their words and their wisdom… put us in contact with the truth of the Gospel” (World Day of the Poor Message, 2025)

Find out more about Pope Leo’s message for the World Day of the Poor

Help us, one and all, to build bridges through dialogue and encounter.

POPE LEO XIV'S FIRST SPEECH

One of the Pope’s titles is Supreme Pontiff, from the Latin ‘pontifex’ or ‘bridge builder’, and from his very first address, Pope Leo XIV has emphasised the imperative to build bridges through dialogue and encounter. He has articulated his belief in a synodal Church, where God’s people, listening to the Spirit, discern and walk together.

The Holy Father’s background as an American-born pontiff with Peruvian nationality, a polyglot with a diverse academic and pastoral history, positions him as a natural bridge-builder between different cultures and perspectives.

Pope Leo has underscored the "spirit of human fraternity" as the basis for a common path with those of different religious, finding common ground for the good of all the world.

A better world needs all of us. Be inspired by our new film.

Jesus is our hope

HOMILY FOR THE JUBILEE OF YOUTH HOLY MASS

Beginning his papal ministry during the Church’s busy Jubilee Year of Hope, Pope Leo has offered us a steady, hopeful voice, grounded in his faith in God’s loving presence.

Speaking to a gathering of young people in June, he encouraged them to find hope in God’s healing love and in living their faith in community.

The Holy Father said: "To share that message of hope with one another - in outreach, in service, in looking for ways to make our world a better place - gives true life to all of us and is a sign of hope for the whole world.”

These are surely words we can all embrace in this Jubilee Year of Hope, as we continue to pray for our Shepherd Pope Leo XIV.

Share hope by being part of our compassionate global neighbourhood and help create lasting change