In this video we present the testimony of the Superior General, Father James Lengarin, IMC, on Pope Leo XIV, his ministry as a missionary, religious and global Pope.
By Jaime C. Patias *
Father James reminds us of the day of the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new Successor of Peter. The Conclave began on May 7, when the 133 cardinal electors were segregated in the Sistine Chapel. On the first day there was black smoke. “May 8th was a very special day. What happened? In the evening there was white smoke, and more than 100,000 people who were in St. Peter’s Square witnessed the event. This is the joy of being Catholic, the joy of having a Pope. People were waiting for a father who had passed away shortly before, and the new Pope arrived. This is the joy of hearing the phrase: Habemus Papam.
And by chance, he is a missionary and a religious man who comes from a long experience of living with people in disadvantaged places in the world, in Peru where he lived for 20 years as a missionary. He made us happy by the fact that he greeted us with the first words that Jesus spoke to his disciples after the resurrection: Christ is alive! To say, our life is linked, above all, to the resurrection. Peace to all of you!”, says Father Lengarin. “This is a very beautiful message of openness, for the world in which we live and to which we belong, because we need it.”
The Pope Leo XIV reminds us of the missionary nature of the Catholic Church.
“And for us he is also a missionary Pope and, what’s more, a religious one. This is beautiful because he understands the things of the world, and how to console people. For us Consolata missionaries this is a great joy. We thank the Lord and pray for him so that he may continue with this missionary spirit present in his heart, which he now shares with the entire world and the global Church. This aspect is very important and interesting, in fact in this time we need Popes who have this global experience of the world, who have travelled far and wide, who have also experienced difficult situations, and who, despite everything, have remained men of faith inspired by the Holy Spirit. In the Catholic Church, we still believe in the Holy Spirit, who guides and supports the Church.”
* Father Jaime C. Patias, IMC, Office of Communications.
