The National Catholic Bioethics Center Celebrates the Election of Pope Leo XIV

May 13, 2025

The National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) celebrates the election of Pope Leo XIV with joy and gratitude!

“Peace be with you.” The first words of Pope Leo XIV on the loggia echoed in St. Peter’s Square and in the hearts of millions, quelling the restlessness of the brief interregnum.  

We can imagine how deeply those same words must have resounded in the souls of His disciples when Jesus first appeared among them after the Resurrection (see Johnn 20:19). With these divine words, our new Holy Father has opened his pontificate by calling us to focus on peace—the true peace that comes only from unity with Christ. 

Pope Leo XIV’s papal motto ties beautifully into this theme and is well-suited to our historical moment: “In Illo uno unum,” which means “in the One [Christ] we are one.” Our peace flows from our unity, which is found in Jesus. This is an important reminder in a time marked by divisiveness in the world, in our nation, and in our Church.

Building on this clear foundation of peace and unity in Christ, the homilies and messages of Pope Leo XIV have since touched repeatedly on themes such as the primacy of Christ, mission and evangelization within and beyond our Christian communities, personal encounter and relationship, caring for the most vulnerable, and courageous witness to the Gospel and its truth.

These are themes that resonate with The National Catholic Bioethics Center’s mission of providing education, guidance, and resources to the Church and society so that, as our vision states, “Catholics and all people of good will effectively draw on the light and life of Jesus Christ and the Catholic moral tradition in addressing ethical challenges in health care and biomedical research.”

The National Catholic Bioethics Center is eager to support Pope Leo XIV, as the Successor of Peter, in sharing the Good News and upholding the deposit of faith, particularly in the areas of health care and biomedical research. May God bless him with abundant graces to assist him in faithfully carrying out the duties of this highest office!

Together let us pray for Pope Leo XIV: 

O God, who chose your servant Pope Leo XIV 
in succession to the Apostle Peter as shepherd of the whole flock, 
look favorably on the supplications of your people 
and grant that, as Vicar of Christ on earth, 
he may confirm his brethren and that the whole Church 
may be in communion with him in the bond of unity, love and peace, 
so that in you, the shepherd of souls, 
all may know the truth and attain life eternal. 
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 
one God, for ever and ever. 
Amen.*

*Collect Prayer for the Pope #3, from The Roman Missal (2011), Prayers for the Pope, p. 1244. Accessed at https://archive.org/details/Roman-Missal-Third-Edition.