In his latest column Damian Hinds discusses the election of Pope Leo XIV. “Habemus papam!” – it is the phrase exclaimed as white smoke is seen above the Sistine Chapel: “we have a new pope!”.
The 267th pontiff is the latest in a line that stretches back to St Peter. Pope Leo XIV will be both a spiritual leader and a head of state. He is the first baby-boom generation pope, the first US pope and simultaneously the first Peruvian pope (he holds both nationalities).
A new papacy is a significant moment for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, including the thousands here in East Hampshire – but there is also some significance beyond.
