WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The election of Pope Leo XIV made Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, recall a vivid memory that went all the way back to first grade at the former St. Ann School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Delivering the homily at a noon Mass of thanksgiving for Pope Leo at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington May 18, he said his teacher, Ursuline Sister Mary Barbara, explained to his class how a new pope was chosen. It was during the conclave that would elect St. John XXIII in October 1958, succeeding the late Pope Pius XII.
The part that made the biggest impression on the young Timothy Broglio was Sister Mary’s description of white smoke coming from a Vatican chimney. But at that age, he was confused and thought the white smoke would just appear wherever he was.
“At 6 years old, the Catholic world, to me, meant St. Ann Parish. What happened to me in the Catholic world happened there,” Archbishop Broglio recounted.
“I walked home from school with an eye turned toward heaven. I did not want to miss the white smoke,” he said.
“I failed to understand that the conclave was 4,000 miles away, and the smoke would not arise where I could see it.”
“No doubt,” he continued, “what I think of St. John XXIII is not a product of memory, but rather the result of study, reflection and especially visits to the nunciatures (Vatican embassies) where he served in Turkey, Bulgaria and France.”
Archbishop Broglio has headed the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services since 2008. Pope Leo is his sixth pope since his priestly ordination in 1977 for the Diocese of Cleveland.
“The role of the Holy Father,” Archbishop Broglio explained in his May 18 homily, “is to confirm us in faith, and to be the center, the font, of authentic truth.
“It is he who leads us to verdant pastures. We count on his guidance, and his authentic development of the magisterium, the official teaching of the church,” he said.
“Yesterday, he was Francis. Today, he is Leo,” he said, and then quoted Jesus Christ’s words in Revelation 21:5: “I will make all things new.”
“We need good guides,” Archbishop Broglio reminded the congregation of several hundred people, “because the world does not place much value on the truth. Its goals are immediate. And so is the sale of pleasure, power and this world’s profits.
“The bishop of Rome,” he said, “calls us forcefully back to the Gospel.
“Today he reminds us of the pressing need to preach the Gospel, the ability to see almighty God in our midst, and the primacy of love,” he said.
Referencing a theme from Pope Leo’s early remarks, Archbishop Broglio reflected, “We are on a journey together. The gloom of this world will pass away. It is life with almighty God that we seek.”
“We pray for Pope Leo on this day when he solemnly initiates his pastoral ministry. He already began, because by law, he is pope from the moment he accepts his election,” he said. “We pray that he will lead us to make clearer the arrival of a new heaven and a new Earth.”
He continued, “On Earth, we are pilgrims and travelers. We realize we need a guide for our way home.”
The journey, Archbishop Broglio added, “may be challenging, but the reward is eternal. The only one worth having.”
“We pray that Pope Leo will lead us on that path of proclaiming the Gospel to the whole world,” he said.
At the national shrine Mass, a special prayer for Pope Leo — whose Mass of inauguration was celebrated at the Vatican earlier in the day — asked God to give him “a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter, and as the vicar of Christ, build your church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world.”
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