Remarks by Andrew McKeough on Pope Leo XIV
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release | May 8, 2025
Remarks by Andrew McKeough on Pope Leo XIV
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania
4:00 P.M. EDT
MR. McKEOUGH: Good afternoon. Today, we stand witness to history. The election of a new pope is always a moment of profound spiritual significance and global attention — but this day feels especially poignant. With humility, hope, and a deep sense of purpose, the Church has welcomed Pope Leo XIV as the 267th successor to Saint Peter.
This is more than the election of a leader. This is the beginning of a new chapter — not only for the Catholic Church but for the entire human family. At a time when people around the world are searching for meaning, longing for justice, and yearning for peace, we now have a Holy Father whose very life reflects the values our world so desperately needs: compassion, courage, intellectual depth, and above all, faith rooted in service.
Pope Leo XIV comes to the papacy not as a man seeking power, but as a servant of the servants of God. His writings and ministry have shown a commitment to listening before judging, embracing before dividing, and walking with those on the margins — whether they are the poor, the displaced, the disillusioned, or the forgotten. His voice is calm, but it is clear. And his vision is bold, but deeply grounded in tradition and prayer.
For me personally, this moment carries a unique and deeply felt resonance. I am a proud graduate of Villanova University, an institution formed in the Augustinian tradition. It is there that I first learned what it means to pursue truth with humility, to seek unity without erasing difference, and to love not only in word, but in action. Veritas, Unitas, Caritas — truth, unity, and love. These aren’t just values carved into stone or printed on banners. They are a way of life. And they are the very ideals I see reflected in the life and witness of Pope Leo XIV.
As Villanovans, we are called to be bridge-builders. To serve with hearts on fire. To listen deeply, act justly, and walk humbly with our God. In Pope Leo XIV, I believe we now have a shepherd who calls us to live those commitments on a global scale. His leadership, I believe, will not be marked by grand declarations or rigid doctrine, but by accompaniment — by walking with the people of God, meeting them where they are, and calling them gently but firmly toward something greater.
This papacy will be about continuing Pope Francis’ legacy of healing — healing the rifts within our Church, healing the deep wounds of injustice across our societies, and healing the personal alienation that so many feel in this modern world. It will be a papacy of encounter, not ideology. Of mercy, not exclusion. Of faith in action, not faith as ornament.
Let us not underestimate the magnitude of this moment. For many, this announcement brings renewed hope. For others, it brings questions, and maybe even concern. But for all of us — Catholic or not, believer or seeker — it brings an invitation: to look inward, to look upward, and to look around us at the human family to which we belong.
And so, on this day of new beginnings, I say thank you. Thank you to the Cardinals who listened to the Spirit. Thank you to the millions of faithful who prayed in quiet, hopeful anticipation. And thank you to Pope Leo XIV — for answering the call with humility and grace.
As a Villanovan, I look to this moment with a sense of responsibility and renewal. Our education wasn’t meant to end in a classroom. It was meant to be lived — in boardrooms and parishes, in city halls and on street corners, wherever truth, unity, and love are needed most. Today, more than ever, the world needs Villanova hearts. And it now has a pope who, I believe, will call forth that same spirit from all of us.
May the Holy Spirit guide Pope Leo XIV in the days and years to come. May he lead with the strength of Saint Peter, the compassion of Saint Francis, and the wisdom of Saint Augustine. And may each of us find in this moment a reason to believe again — in the Church, in one another, and in the possibility of renewal.
Thank you, and may God bless you all.
END
4:10 P.M. EDT