Pinoy Augustinian priest: Support Pope Leo XIV through prayer

Filipino Catholics were called on to pray for Pope Leo XIV, as he takes the role to lead the 1.4 billion Catholics.

“Although his election is a gift, it is also a cross. Something that requires our support, our prayers, and our love,” Filipino Augustinian prior provincial Fr. Dante Bendoy O.S.A. said Sunday during his homily.

Bendoy presided over the Thanksgiving Mass for the new pope at the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila.

“Let us therefore lift him up in our prayers, asking that divine grace may continue to shine upon him as he shepherds the Church with faith, humility, and love,” he added.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected on May 9 as Pope Francis’ predecessor. He has chosen the name Leo XIV.

The 69-year-old Augustinian priest is the 267th pope, the first ever pontiff from the United States, and the first Augustinian pope.

Bendoy said Pope Leo XIV’s election was “very timely,” as the Catholic Church celebrates Good Shepherd Sunday today.

“His election reminds us that through the Holy Spirit, the Good Shepherd remains faithful to His promise that He will not abandon His Church,” Bendoy said.

The Augustinian priest also urged the faithful to be a “shepherd” to others.

“The Gospel calls us to recognize his guiding presence and to respond with faithfulness, trusting that his love and protection are always present,” Bendoy said.

“Let us not be swayed by the false voices of the world but remain attentive to the one who truly knows and calls us by name, the one who truly loves us,” he added.

Before becoming pontiff, Pope Leo XIV went to the San Agustin Church during one of his many visits to the Philippines. — BAP, GMA Integrated News