Official statements on the election

We will update this post with various official statements by different Catholic organizations on the election of the new pope.

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From the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (North American District):

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter welcomes the accession of the Most Eminent and Reverend Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio, SJ, to the Sovereign Pontificate, taking as his name Pope Francis.

We ask all of our supporters to join with us in continually offering daily prayer and sacrifice that his pontificate may occasion the increase of faith, hope and charity throughout the Church, and the world.

May Pope Francis be filled with the courage and fortitude needed to steer the Barque of Peter amid the turbulent seas and rough winds in which we find ourselves, for the Psalmist tells us, “He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Jacob. He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector, and my refuge: my God, in him will I trust. For He hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters: and from the sharp word.” ~ Psalm 90:1-4

We beseech Our Lord Jesus Christ, Head of His Mystical Body, the Catholic Church, to increase the love of the Deposit of Faith and our sacred traditions amongst the episcopacy, clergy, religious and laity, so that through the shepherding hand of Pope Francis, the Divine assistance will remain with us, that we might witness the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and continue to restore all things in Christ.

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First, Holy Cross and Opus Dei:

This is a moment of great joy for Catholics all over the world. Pope Francis is the 266th successor of Peter. From the moment the white smoke was first seen we have welcomed him with great thanks. And now, following the example of Benedict XVI, we express to him our unconditional reverence and obedience. And also our affection and prayer, continuing the prayers that we shared with the Pope during his first appearance on the balcony of blessings in Saint Peter’s Basilica.

In this moment filled with emotion, when the Church’s universality is vividly sensed, I reaffirm to the new Roman Pontiff complete adhesion to his person and ministry, with the certainty that I am expressing the sentiments of the faithful, both priests and laity, of the Prelature of Opus Dei. We all entrust ourselves to the prayers of His Holiness, in order to contribute effectively, with joyful availability, to the work of evangelization that the Pope has mentioned in his first greeting to the Church.

During these weeks of serene waiting, much has been said about the burden that weighs on the shoulders of the Holy Father. But let us not forget that the Pope relies on God’s help, on the assistance of the Holy Spirit and the affection and prayers of all Catholics, and of millions of other men and women of good will.

As Saint Josemaría Escrivá always advised, I ask our Lord today very especially that all of us Catholics may share “one will, one heart, one spirit, so that omnes cum Petro ad Iesum per Mariam — so that we may all go to Jesus, closely united to the Pope, through Mary (The Forge, 647).

+ Javier Echevarría

Prelate of Opus Dei

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From the Society of Saint Pius X:

Communiqué from the SSPX's General House on the occasion of the election of Pope Francis

With the news of the election of Pope Francis, the Society of St. Pius X prays to Almighty God that He abundantly bestow on the new Sovereign Pontiff the graces necessary for the exercise of this heavy charge.

Strengthened by Divine Providence, may the new pope "confirm his brethren in the Faith"[1], with the authority which St. Pius X proclaimed at the beginning of his pontificate:

We do not wish to be, and with the divine assistance never shall be aught before human society but the Minister of God, of whose authority We are the depositary. The interests of God shall be Our interest, and for these We are resolved to spend all Our strength and Our very life.[2]

St. Francis of Assisi, whose name the new pontiff has taken, heard the Crucified Savior say to him, "Go, Francis and rebuild my Church." It is in such a spirit that the bishops, priests, and religious of the Society of St. Pius X assure the Holy Father of their filial desire "to restore all things in Christ, so that Christ may be all and in all”[3] according to their means, for the love of the Holy Catholic and Roman Church.

Menzingen, March 13, 2013

1 Luke 22:32.

2 St. Pius X’s encyclical E supremi apostolatus (October 4, 1903).

3 Eph. 1:10 and Col. 3:11.