Pope Leo XIV Ordains 11 New Priests for Diocese of Rome

The Diocese of Rome has 2,592,300 Catholics. The Diocese of Lincoln has 95,000, or less than 4% of Rome's. We ordained two men. Maybe things will change under Pope Leo.

From Aleteia

By I. Media

Four of the new priests were trained at the Redemptoris Mater seminary run by the Neocatechumenal Way, and seven at the Pontifical Roman Seminary.

“You are proof that God has not grown weary of gathering his children, despite their differences, and forming them into a dynamic unity,” affirmed Pope Leo XIV as he celebrated Mass for the ordination of 11 new priests for the Diocese of Rome on May 31, 2025.

By ordaining the priests of his diocese himself, the new Bishop of Rome renewed a tradition that his predecessor Francis had delegated to his vicar for the diocese of the Italian capital during the last years of his pontificate.

“The depth, breadth, and even duration of the divine joy we share at this moment are directly proportional to the bonds that exist and will grow stronger between you, the ordained, and the people from whom you come, to whom you still belong, and to whom you are sent,” Leo XIV explained during his homily.

“We are the people of God. The Second Vatican Council made this awareness more vivid, almost anticipating a time when belonging would become weaker and the sense of God more rare,” the Pope reflected.

“The joy of God is not noisy, but it truly changes history and brings us closer to one another,” he assured.

Wounded humanity within wounded creation

When faced with the disappointment of “broken or unfinished bonds,” the Pope invited priests to refer to Jesus' attitude on the cross.

“Rather than thinking about his own personal destiny, Jesus placed in the Father's hands the bonds he had woven here on earth,” he recalled.

“Like Jesus, it is people of flesh and blood that the Father places on your path. Devote yourselves to them, without separating yourselves from them, without isolating yourselves, without making the gift you have received a kind of privilege,” the new pope urged his priests.

He also recalled that the gesture of laying on of hands, which is part of the ordination ritual, was also the gesture “by which Jesus welcomed children and healed the sick.”

This gesture, repeated in the Acts of the Apostles, therefore manifests “the transmission of the creative Spirit,” he emphasized.

A transparent and credible life

The Pope also insisted on “transparency of life,” inviting the young priests to lead “lives that are known, lives that are readable, lives that are credible.”

“We are among the people of God, so that we may stand before him with credible witness,” Leo XIV repeated.

“Together, we will rebuild the credibility of a wounded Church, sent to a wounded humanity, within a wounded creation. We are not yet perfect, but it is necessary to be credible,” he insisted.

He also emphasized that these priests are sent “to serve a people who are all priests.”

“Together, in fact, we unite heaven and earth. In Mary, Mother of the Church, shines that common priesthood which lifts up the humble, connects generations, and makes us call ourselves blessed,” insisted Leo XIV.

The 11 new priests ordained for the Diocese of Rome are between 28 and 49 years old. Four of them were trained at the Redemptoris Mater seminary run by the Neocatechumenal Way, and seven at the Pontifical Roman Seminary.