LINGAYEN-DAGUPAN Archbishop Socrates Villegas warmly welcomed the election of Pope Leo XIV, as the new head of the Roman Catholic Church, calling his papacy a divine answer to the prayers of the faithful around the world.

“The wait is over. Let us thank God for answering our prayers. We have a Pope,” he announced in a heartfelt statement posted on his Facebook page following the proclamation from the Vatican.

Describing the newly elected pontiff as “God’s gift to the Church,” Villegas underscored the spiritual significance of the Pope’s role as “grace in flesh and blood to unite us, grace to guide us, and grace to lead us to Jesus.”

He also cheered the name Leo XIV chosen by the new pope, American Cardinal Robert Prevost, citing that, “The last Pope who carried that name left a legacy of linking the work of the Gospel with social engagement and transformation. What a vision.”

Pope Leo XIV succeeds Pope Francis who passed away on April 21. (Eva Visperas)

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