A Joyful "Welcome" to Pope Leo XIV from the Church in America

When the white smoke appeared and Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter's, the whole world paused for a moment.

A new chapter in the life of the Church had begun. At eCatholic, we asked ourselves: How can we help Catholics everywhere take part in this historic moment? The answer came quickly–and creatively.

That's when we launched "Messages to the Holy Father," a simple but powerful invitation for Catholics around the world to record a short video message to welcome, encourage, and pray for our newly elected pope–His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.

Within hours of launching, the responses started pouring in–and it's been beautiful!

From priests to religious, from families to entire Catholic school communities–video messages have been sent in from all over the map. But all of them coming from the heart, filled with love for our new Holy Father from America!

It's been incredible to witness the universal Church come together to support our Holy Father in such a personal and endearing way. And now, we're honored to share a portion of the video montage with you.