On the evening of May 8, 2025, the world turned its gaze once again to the Loggia of the Blessings of Saint Peter’s Basilica. The bells rang joyfully, the curtains parted, and from the famed balcony, the newly elected pope appeared before the people. He was presented to the world as Pope Leo XIV, the successor of Peter and the spiritual guide of over a billion Catholics. The square, overflowing with pilgrims and viewers from around the globe, listened in attentive silence as he offered his first words—not as a sovereign, but as a brother and shepherd.

His address was brief, but every phrase was rich with meaning. Spoken in a warm, pastoral tone, his words carried echoes of Scripture, the wisdom of the saints, and the legacy of his predecessors—especially Pope Francis, whose health and quiet endurance in his final years had deeply marked the Church. Pope Leo’s message was simple yet deeply theological: peace, unity, mission, and hope. He greeted not only Rome, but the entire world; not only Catholics, but every person longing for light in times of uncertainty.

For the Vincentian Family, this inaugural message is a spiritual treasure that resonates with our deepest convictions: that God walks with the poor, that peace is born of love, that the Church must be missionary and synodal, that we are called to build bridges and not walls. Pope Leo speaks as one who knows the scent of the sheep, as one shaped by pastoral experience and anchored in the Gospel.

What follows is a reflection on ten of the most powerful messages from that first discourse. Each one carries a spark of hope, especially for those of us committed to the charism of Saint Vincent de Paul. These are not abstract ideals, but living words that can guide us as disciples and missionaries in today’s world.

Ten Messages of Hope from Pope Leo XIV: A Reflective Journey for the Vincentian Family

1. “Peace be with you!” — The Greeting of the Risen Christ

“Peace be with you.” (John 20:19).

Peace be with all of you!” With these words, echoing the Risen Christ’s greeting to his disciples, Pope Leo XIV began his pontificate. From the very beginning, he presented himself not as a ruler above, but as a brother among us, offering the same blessing Christ offered behind closed doors on Easter night. The peace he invoked is not a fragile balance of human agreements, but the deep, unshakable peace of Christ—unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. It is the peace that flows from a God who loves unconditionally, who comes not with power to dominate but with hands scarred by love.

For the Vincentian Family, this is more than a theological affirmation—it is a summons to live differently. In neighborhoods wounded by violence and despair, in the margins where the poor are too often forgotten, we are called to carry that same peace. Saint Vincent de Paul reminded us that charity must be gentle, patient, and humble. This peace cannot be imposed; it must be lived. It must pass through the open doors of our hearts, through our gaze, our hands, and our presence.

2. “An unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering”

“He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave…” (Philippians 2:7).

Among the most striking phrases spoken by Pope Leo XIV in his first address was his description of the peace of the Risen Christ as “an unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering.” In just a few words, he dismantled the world’s usual understanding of peace as something imposed by strength or negotiated through fear. Instead, he offered a peace born of vulnerability, of enduring love, of a God who refuses to wield power against us.

For the Vincentian Family, this kind of peace is not a distant ideal, but a daily calling. It takes courage to remain unarmed in a violent world, to disarm ourselves of pride, control, or superiority, and to offer instead the gentle, persistent presence that builds trust with the poor and excluded. It is the kind of peace Saint Vincent de Paul lived when he refused revenge and chose reconciliation, when he answered injustice with tireless charity. It is the kind of peace that perseveres in the face of rejection, that humbly returns each day to serve without fanfare, without seeking applause. In a world growing weary of harsh voices and clenched fists, the Church—and the Vincentian Family within it—is invited to embody this disarming peace: one that surprises by its tenderness and transforms by its quiet strength.

3. “God loves all of us, and evil will not prevail!”

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1,5).

Pope Leo reminded us that “God loves all of us, and evil will not prevail.” These are not naïve words; they are a bold proclamation rooted in the heart of the Gospel. Saint Paul wrote to the Romans that nothing—neither death, nor life, nor any power—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. In a world often shadowed by cynicism and fear, the Pope’s words sound like a trumpet of resurrection hope. Evil exists, yes—but it does not get the final word.

For Vincentians who daily encounter the suffering of the poor, this promise is a lifeline. It is what sustains us in front of injustice, when hope seems buried. We serve with the conviction that love is stronger than hate, that compassion can dismantle systems of indifference.

4. “Without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves”

“Do not fear: I am with you…” (Isaiah 41:10)

“Without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves,” the Pope continued. There is power in that image. A people walking together—clasped in faith, grounded in divine friendship and human solidarity. Fear isolates; communion strengthens.

The Vincentian Family, international and diverse, is strongest when united—when we stand shoulder to shoulder, listening deeply to the cries of the poor and to one another. Pope Francis, in Fratelli Tutti, reminded us that no one is saved alone (§32). This unity is not uniformity—it is harmony born of shared mission, grounded in the person of Jesus.

5. “Help each other to build bridges—with dialogue, with encounter…”

“God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, [has] given us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18).

And in this unity, we are sent: “To help each other build bridges—with dialogue, with encounter.” Pope Leo invites us to a culture of encounter that refuses walls. Saint Paul told the Corinthians that God entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation. Dialogue, then, is not a diplomatic tool—it is a spiritual discipline.

For the Vincentian Family, dialogue happens when we sit beside a neighbor whose language we barely know, when we knock on the door of someone society has locked out. Saint Vincent taught that we meet Christ in the poor not to fix them, but to welcome them … and in that mutual encounter, a bridge is constructed.

6. “To proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries”

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19–20).

The Pope’s missionary impulse is clear: “To proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.” These are not roles for a few; they are the identity of the baptized. The world today is not reached through proclamations alone, but through witness—through lives that echo the Beatitudes, that make visible the joy and justice of the Kingdom. Pope Paul VI wrote that the world listens more to witnesses than to teachers, and if it listens to teachers, it is because they are first witnesses (Pope Paul VI, Address to the Members of the Consilium de Laicis, October 2, 1974).

Vincentians, walking through villages, prisons, shelters, and schools, carry the Gospel in their bodies and their actions. To evangelize is to accompany, to lift, to love.

7. “With you I am a Christian, for you a bishop”

“Not that we lord it over your faith; rather, we work together for your joy, for you stand firm in the faith.” (2 Corinthians 1:24)

In a striking moment, Pope Leo identified himself in the words of Saint Augustine: “With you I am a Christian, for you a bishop.” (Sermon 340). Here we see the heart of servant leadership—not authority as control, but as communion. Augustine’s phrase affirms that the bishop belongs to the people, not above them.

Saint Vincent lived this deeply, refusing honors and status, choosing instead the company of the poor. In our own Vincentian roles—whether as lay leaders, clergy, youth animators, or formators—we are called to lead by walking with, not walking ahead. Authority rooted in humility is fertile soil for trust.

8. “A Church with open arms… those who need our charity, presence, dialogue, and love”

“Charity is at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine.” (Caritas in Veritate §2)

The Pope then painted a vision of the Church as a “place with open arms… for all those who need our charity, presence, dialogue, and love.”

This image of an open square—a spiritual home—speaks profoundly to the Vincentian heart. Our charism is incarnated in openness. Saint Vicent de Paul taught that we are to embrace the poor with the same tenderness with which we would embrace Christ himself (cf. Conference 30, “The Rules,” May 30, 1647, CCD, 9:256). The Church must not become a fortress for the comfortable, but a field hospital, as Pope Francis often said. Therefore, the Vincentian Family, present in refugee camps and remote barrios, must be the Church’s outstretched hands.

9. “We want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks”

“Jesus himself drew near and walked with them.” (Luke 24:15).

Pope Leo’s dream is a “synodal Church, a Church that walks.” It is a Church that listens, that discerns, that moves with the people and not merely for them. This is no bureaucratic vision—it is profoundly biblical. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus walked with the disciples, listening before explaining.

The Vincentian Family is convinced that wisdom can rise from the ground up, that the voices of the poor matter, that formation happens in movement. Our Vincentian Family gatherings, our collaborative missions, our communal discernments are signs of this walking Church.

10. “Let us pray together… for this mission, for peace, and ask grace from Mary”

“All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus…” (Acts 1:14).

And finally, the Pope invited us to pray together, to entrust the mission to Mary. “Let us ask for this special grace from Mary, our Mother.” In this he echoes the early Church, which gathered in prayer with Mary before Pentecost.

Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac had great confidence in Mary’s maternal protection. She is not a passive figure but an active pilgrim of faith, who walks with us, strengthens our hope, and intercedes with tenderness. On this path, she is our companion, our sister, and our mother.

As Pope Leo XIV begins his ministry, these ten messages offer us not just a program but a path. For the Vincentian Family, they are a mirror and a call—a reminder that our charism is alive and needed in today’s world. Let us walk together with him, hand in hand with God and the poor, carrying the peace of the Risen Christ wherever we go.

Full text of Pope Leo XIV’s first speech:

Peace be with all of you!

Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God’s flock. I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your heart, to reach your families, to all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to the whole earth. Peace be with you!

This is the peace of the Risen Christ, an unarmed and disarming peace, humble and persevering. It comes from God, God who loves us all unconditionally. We still have in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis who blessed Rome! The pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the entire world, that Easter morning.

Allow me to follow up on that same blessing: God cares for us, God loves all of us, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God’s hands. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us move forward.
We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs His light. Humanity needs Him as the bridge to reach God and His love.

Help us too, then help each other to build bridges – with dialogue, with encounter, uniting all of us to be one people always in peace. Thank you, Pope Francis!

I also want to thank all the fellow cardinals who chose me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk with you, as a united Church always seeking peace, justice – always trying to work as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, without fear, to proclaim the Gospel, to be missionaries.

I am a son of Saint Augustine, (an) Augustinian, who said: “With you I am a Christian and for you a bishop.” In this sense, we can all walk together towards that homeland that God has prepared for us.

To the Church of Rome, a special greeting! We must seek together how to be a missionary Church, a Church that builds bridges (and) dialogue, always open to receive (people), like this square, with open arms – everyone, all those who need our charity, our presence, dialogue and love.

(Switching into Spanish) And if you allow me also, a word, a greeting to all those, and particularly to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop, have shared their faith, and have given so much, so much to continue being a faithful Church of Jesus Christ.

(Switching back to Italian) To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, of the whole world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer.

Today is the day of the Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, to stay close, to help us with her intercession and her love.

So I would like to pray together with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole Church, for peace in the world, and let us ask for this special grace from Mary, our Mother.