A Letter to Our Non-Catholic Friends who are Confused by all of the Pope Hype.

Hi friend!!

I bet this is confusing.

Every Catholics Instagram story is filled with white smoke, seagulls, and the Pope in red.

The news has been zoomed in on a chimney for the last 24 hours.

The memes. The happy tears. The celebration.

You might be thinking, "Isn't it all a little much? He's not Jesus. He's just a guy. What's with all the hype?"

Let’s back up a bit.

Jesus said to Peter, "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19)

Peter was the first Pope, and was recognized as such throughout all of history. From the very beginning, Christians knew that Jesus had given Peter special authority and the responsibility to lead the Church.

Peter was succeeded by Linus. Linus was succeeded by Cletus.

And so on... Until Pope Francis. And now, Pope Leo XIV.

So what’s the big deal?

First, it’s a celebration of the Lord’s generosity and the fact that Jesus keeps His promises! He gave us a father and a shepherd to guide us, promising that even hell cannot prevail against it.

Secondly... It's just really, really exciting!! The Pope is a spiritual Father to the Universal Church and this is such a huge change and moment in our lives and in history. It involves so many big emotions, prayer, unity, and joyful hope for the future.

But at the core of it all, behind every "Pope post", and every seagull meme, is deep, deep gratitude to God. For the Church. For His guidance. For his Mercy. For the Papacy and the new Pope who will lead and guide the Church moving forward.

If you’re confused or curious, please reach out. We’d love to talk- and yes, we have more seagull memes ready if you want them. 😉

Love,

Your Catholic Friend