The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has offered a message of goodwill to Pope Leo XIV following the latter’s election on May 8 to lead the Catholic Church and be sovereign of the Vatican City State.
“On behalf of the leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we extend heartfelt prayers and greetings to Pope Leo XIV. This significant moment in time for the Catholic Church is a reminder of the enduring importance of faith to people everywhere,” wrote the First Presidency — President Russell M. Nelson and his counselors, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring.
“As fellow followers of Jesus Christ, we look forward to continued opportunities to work together to bless the lives of God’s children everywhere. May we strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ to care for the poor and needy, become peacemakers and create a world where faith and goodness can flourish.”
The message was issued as a statement on Thursday, May 8, first published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Pope Leo XIV is the formal name taken by Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, from Chicago, Illinois, the first pontiff from the United States.
He was elected after the April 21 death of Pope Francis, 88, who had led the Catholic Church for the past 12 years. The election came through a two-day papal conclave at the Vatican as 133 cardinals had been sequestered to determine a new pontiff.
The First Presidency also had issued a statement following Pope Francis’ passing.
“We join the world in mourning the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. His courageous and compassionate leadership has blessed countless lives. We extend our heartfelt condolences to all who looked to him for inspiration and counsel. As the world pauses to remember his example of forgiveness and service, we feel deep gratitude for the goodness of a life well lived and rejoice in the hope of a glorious resurrection made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”
President Nelson met with Pope Francis inside the Vatican in what was the first meeting of its kind between leaders of the two faiths. Following the March 9, 2019, meeting, President Nelson talked about the experience.
“We had a most cordial, unforgettable experience with His Holiness. He was most gracious and warm and welcoming. What a sweet, wonderful man he is, and how fortunate the Catholic people are to have such a gracious, concerned, loving and capable leader,” he said.
A Church News video from Rome, titled "The Prophet and the Pope‚" captured the reactions of President Nelson and the late President M. Russell Ballard, the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, to the historic meeting. Elder Massimo De Feo, a General Authority Seventy, and Elder Alessandro Dini Ciacci, an Area Seventy, also attended the meeting in the Vatican.
In a November 2014 address to faith leaders gathered at the Vatican for a summit on marriage and family, President Eyring, now second counselor in the First Presidency, was warmly greeted by Pope Francis as the latter shook hands with several faith leaders after addressing the summit.
Pope Francis, 88, died on Easter Monday, April 21. A native of Argentina, he was the first Latin American pontiff and led the Catholic Church for 12 years. Suffering throughout his life from chronic lung disease, Pope Francis was hospitalized in late February for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia, but he made several public appearances at the Vatican during this year’s Holy Week.
