Pope Leo XIV and the "unique mission" of the Church of Rome

by Gianni Valente

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - The Church of Rome is heir to a great history, "grounded in the witness of Peter, Paul and countless martyrs, and it has a unique mission: to be Mater omnium Ecclesiarum, Mother of all the Churches". Pope Leo XIV recalled this during the homily delivered at the solemn Liturgy celebrated this afternoon, May 25, in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
With this celebration, he officially "took possession" of the Chair of the Bishop of Rome.

The Church of Rome is "mother of all the Churches". And the “maternal dimension of the Church,” so often emphasized by Pope Francis — explained the Bishop of Rome — includes “tenderness, self-sacrifice and the capacity to listen. Those qualities enable her not only to assist others but often to anticipate their needs and expectations before they are even expressed.” This caring solicitude has guided the Church’s choices from its earliest steps, as demonstrated by the episode recalled in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles read during today’s liturgy, to which Pope Leo referred in his homily: the meeting known as the “Council of Jerusalem,” where Peter and the Apostles, prompted by Paul of Tarsus and Barnabas, recognizing the difficulties of the new converts, agreed not to impose excessive burdens on them, but rather to insist only on what was ‘essential’.

In the letter sent to the Christians in Antioch to communicate the decisions taken in that meeting - Pope Leo recalled - Peter and the Apostles wrote that what was decided “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” These words bore witness to the fact that "the most important part of the entire event was listening to God’s voice, which made everything else possible".
This affirmed, even back then, that "communion is built primarily “on our knees,” through prayer and constant commitment to conversion". And that "the more we let ourselves be convinced and transformed by the Gospel — allowing the power of the Spirit to purify our heart, to make our words straightforward, our desires honest and clear, and our actions generous — the more capable we are of proclaiming its message".

Saint Leo the Great and Pope Luciani

In the final part of his homily, Pope Leo expressed "the desire and commitment to contribute "to this great ongoing process by listening to everyone as much as possible, in order to learn, understand and decide things together". The Pontiff asked everyone for support in charity and prayer, recalling the words of Saint Leo the Great: "All the good we do in the exercise of our ministry is the work of Christ and not our own, for we can do nothing without him. Yet we glory in him, from whom all the effectiveness of our work is derived".

To the words of the Holy Pope of the V Christian Century, Pope Prevost then added those spoken by Blessed John Paul I on September 23, 1978, during the celebration for the taking of possession of the Chair of the Bishop of Rome. "Saint Pius X - Pope Luciani had said on that occasion - upon entering Venice as patriarch, exclaimed in Saint Mark’s: ‘What would become of me, dear Venetians, if I did not love you?’ I would say something similar to you Romans: I assure you that I love you, that I desire only to enter into your service and to place my own poor abilities, the little I have and am, at the service of all". "I too" added Leo XIV, making John Paul I’s words his own, "express my affection for you and my desire to share with you, on our journey together, our joys and sorrows, our struggles and hopes. I too offer you "the little I have and that I am", entrusting it to the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul and of all those other brothers and sisters of ours whose holiness has illuminated the history of this Church and the streets of this city. May the Virgin Mary accompany us and intercede for us" he concluded. (Agenzia Fides, 25/5/2025)

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