To mark Pope Leo XIV’s 70th birthday, Cardinal Vincent Nichols has written to the Holy Father to assure him of the deepest prayers, filial devotion, and unity of the faithful in our lands.
Pope Leo’s birthday falls on Sunday, 14 September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
“The Church in England and Wales gives thanks to God for your life and vocation,” writes Cardinal Nichols. “We pledge to Your Holiness our filial devotion and unity, and we entrust your ministry to the maternal care of Our Lady of Walsingham, confident that Christ, the Good Shepherd, will continue to guide you as you lead His Church.”
Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Nichols also contextualises this milestone with other significant moments in Pope Leo’s life and ministry.
Full Text
Most Holy Father, Dear Pope Leo,
On behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and the faithful entrusted to our pastoral care, I extend our warmest congratulations and deepest prayers as you mark your seventieth birthday on 14 September, a day rich in both personal and ecclesial meaning, coinciding as it does with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
This milestone is set within a season of anniversaries that reflect the depth and constancy of your vocational journey. As you approach the anniversary of your solemn profession on 29 August (1981) the beginning of your novitiate on 1 September (1977), and your first profession of vows on 2 September (1978), we honour your faithful witness to the Rule of Saint Augustine, lived over decades with humility and courage.
Equally, the anniversary of your creation as a Cardinal by Pope Francis on 30 September (2023), and your assumption of the Diaconate of Saint Monica, recall the Church’s recognition of your pastoral wisdom and missionary zeal — qualities that now find their fullest expression in your election as Supreme Pontiff.
The Church in England and Wales gives thanks to God for your life and vocation. We pledge to Your Holiness our filial devotion and unity, and we entrust your ministry to the maternal care of Our Lady of Walsingham, confident that Christ, the Good Shepherd, will continue to guide you as you lead His Church.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
Image: Mazur/cbcew.org.uk
