S. Korea Hails Election of First American Pope, Leo XIV

S. Korea Hails Election of First American Pope, Leo XIV

South Korea has welcomed the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, marking the first time a pontiff from the United States will lead the Catholic Church.

The 69-year-old Augustinian friar from Chicago appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening, greeting thousands of Catholics gathered in St. Peter’s Square with a message of peace: “Peace be with you.”

In his first remarks, Pope Leo XIV emphasized a message of nonviolence and divine love.
“This is the peace of the risen Christ, a disarmed peace and a disarming peace,” he said, adding that it is “humble and persevering, from God who loves us all unconditionally.” He also paid tribute to his predecessor, Pope