By Matters India Reporter
Bengaluru, May 8, 2028: The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) on May 8 expressed “heartfelt gratitude and great joy” over the election of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th successor of Saint Peter.
The papal conclave on May 8 elected the American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to be the next pope. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
After two days of voting, white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney indicating the election of a new leader of the Catholic Church.
The 69-year-old new Pope is from Chicago. The Augustinian Pope has served as a missionary in South America and served as bishop in Peru. Recently, he led the Vatican office for bishop appointments. He is expected to build on Pope Francis’ reforms.
There were 133 voting cardinals and any one of them needed two-thirds of the vote to become the next pope.
Archbishop Peter Machado, CCBI vice president, expressed deep gratitude to God for the gift of a new shepherd to the Universal Church.
“With faith and filial love, we welcome Pope Leo XIV, rejoicing in his election and entrusting his pontificate to the providence of God,” said a statement issued by CCBI deputy secretary general Father Stephen Alathara.
The Indian prelate conveyed their appreciation to the College of Cardinals for their prayerful discernment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit during the conclave.
Recognizing Pope Leo XIV’s pastoral experience, humility, and dedication to the Gospel, the Indian bishops affirmed their commitment to walking in communion with him in the shared mission of evangelization, justice, peace, and care for the poor and creation.
The conference assured the new Pope of constant prayers and support of the Latin Church in India. It invoked the blessings of God upon Pope Leo IV as he begins his ministry.
“May his pontificate be marked by grace, courage, and deep love,” the statement added.
The bishops urged Catholics and all people of good will in India to join them in praying for Pope Leo XIV as he leads the Universal Church.
We pray that our new shepherd, Pope Leo XIV, be blessed with the wisdom and compassion needed to guide the Church. May he, in communion with his fellow bishops, serve you and your people with dedication and joy, deep compassion, and profound faith, hope, and charity so that the light of the Risen Christ will continue to dispel the darkness of this world.
The Indian clergy need to reflect and understand the importance of humility and service to the people of God. We see many instances where Bishop or even priests behave like prince even illtreating the fellow brother priests as servants.
The clergy and bishops in India need to understand that they represent the whole church (Catholic – meaning Universal) church. So even if one priest/ Bishop does a mistake it impacts the whole church. Where as it is not the case with the protestant church as the protestant church is lead by individuals and the faithful consider the pastor as their guiding light. But in case of Catholic church, even the priest who does the mistake thousand miles away have the impact on the local church.
Let us hope the bishops of India especially from the economically rich dioceses like Dioceses in Andhra/ Telangana change the way that they treat people and behave in the public. Just of the instance, look at the online Festival masses available on youtube, how lavishly they travel on the Horse driven vehicles, get felicitated for almost 10 to 15 minutes and treated as prince with head crowns blah, blah. Definitely that is not the church Jesus wanted.
I can bring many instances of youtube videos, the Bishop treats the brother priests literally as slaves by staring or looking angry right infront of the alter. I sincerely hope they change soon and follow Jesus words.. “I came to server, but not be served”
Cautious optimism