Wednesday May 14, 2025 | OTTAWA, ON [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC] | Posted at 11:19 am PT
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Rome, Italy on Friday May 16 to attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV.
The Pope was selected by the Vatican conclave process last week and was revealed to the public on May 8, 2025.
In his first mass the very next day on May 9, Pope Leo XIV challenged today’s modern ways of finding security in “technology, money, success, power or pleasure”.
Carney’s trip:
Carney will be in Rome from May 16 to 19. This comes up quickly in a busy week in which Carney announced his first post-election cabinet on May 13 and held his first cabinet meeting today.
Carney himself follows the Catholic faith.
A longstanding tradition of the Catholic Church, and a defining moment in Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, the Mass will take place on Sunday, May 18, at St. Peter’s Square.
While in Rome, the Prime Minister will also meet with other international leaders to discuss deepening trade, commerce, and cultural ties.
Carney’s new Foreign Affairs Minister is Anita Anand.
American birthplace:
Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Illinois on September 14, 1955. He is 60 years old.
The 267th Roman Catholic Pope, he is the first Pope born in the United States. He undertook extensive ministry work in Peru in the 1980s an 1990s.
From Jesuit to Augustinian:
Whereas the late Pope Francis was from a scholarly Jesuit path to the Vatican, Pope Leo comes through the Augustine route with a philosophy of sharing.
The Jesuit approach to Christianity is about ‘finding God in all things’ which inspires the pursuit of God in various aspects of life, including the arts, sciences, and social justice. Jesuits also value the pursuit of justice and service to others. Pope Francis dressed simply, not wearing the more regal robes of previous popes.
The Augustinian way is to emphasize living in community, sharing resources, and seeking God together, both through contemplation and practical service to others. Essentially, the belief of Augustinians revolves around fostering a strong, united community and living out Christian values in a practical way.
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