Yet again, the timing of historical events has proved impeccable. In succession to Pope Francis, who died not long after imparting Urbi et Orbi from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV did so in time for his first Angelus address – or, to be proper, Regina Caeli, it being Eastertide – to fall on Good Shepherd Sunday. The point was not lost: speaking to the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square, he called it “a gift”.
In many ways the address represented business as usual. Substantially, it contained nothing that Pope Francis would not have included: a plea for peace in Gaza, Ukraine, India and Pakistan; encouragement of young people; a welcome to pilgrims in Rome for the Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment, who “enliven the feast of Christ the Good Shepherd: the One who guides the Church with his Holy Spirit.”
