The 265th Successor of Peter

European Churches welcomed with choral joy the election of Pope Francis to the See of Peter.CCEE. In a letter to Pope Francis, the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) wrote: "The European bishops see in your election a sign of hope and encouragement, a stimulus for us not to be concerned just about the specific problems of the Old Continent, but to measure the tasks of the Churches entrusted to our pastoral care in the perspective of the universal Church". The letter underlines the role of the Church in Europe "in the light of the vocation of the whole Church", before "secularization" and in the framework of "the demographic and migratory situation". "Besides the continual urgency to proclaim the Lord Jesus, in our continent we feel the pressing need to promote the unity of Christians, particularly collaboration over moral issues and social doctrine, in safeguarding creation and global responsibility for the environment with the continent’s Orthodox Churches". "The variety of languages and national cultures in Europe underlines our commitment to reconciliation among peoples, and the need for pastoral collaboration for the new evangelisation".COMECE. "At this critical time when there is deep confusion about Europe’s future, it may be an opportune moment for the new Pontiff to inject fresh enthusiasm into the search for a vision of Europe", wrote Patrick H. Daly, General Secretary of COMECE, upon the news of the election of Pope Francis. "Right from the outset, the European project has enjoyed the active support and interest of the new pontiff’s predecessors, all of whom closely followed developments within the constellation of nations, which has become the European Union". He continued: "We feel sure that the Successor of Peter will recognise with pride what has been achieved together by the European nations and encourage Europe’s political leaders – and incidentally all of us at COMECE – to continue, with solidarity and respect for subsidiarity, on the path towards unity in diversity for all within the European family". Austria and Holland. Monsignor Egon Kapellari, bishop of Graz, vice-president of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference, conveyed his "surprise" and his "deep emotion" at the news of the election of Pope Francis. "The fact that the first Jesuit on the Papal See bears the name of the famous Saint that has loved the Church and her people extraordinarily" bears a strong symbolical value, said Monsignor Kapellari, according to Austrian news agency Kathpress. "This prophetic gesture shows that the new Pope gives great relevance to the social dimension of Christian faith". Moreover, the election of a Latin-American cardinal exemplifies the fact that "we are a universal Church". In a joint statement, the Dutch bishops rendered "thanks to the Holy Spirit for having brought a fast decision of the cardinals gathered in conclave" and to "the new Pope for the ‘supra-human’ commitment he has assumed for himself". "At the beginning of the 21st century the Church is called to address momentous challenges". Dutch Bishops believe that "with Pope Francis we will find the right answers to such challenges". Slovakia and Ukraine. The "Church in Slovakia welcomes the news with great joy", the Slovakian Bishops’ Conference wrote in a message to pope Francis. "We have prayed together with the faithful calling for the gift of the Holy Spirit for the cardinals called to elect Peter’s successor during the Conclave. We have prayed that the Holy Spirit choose someone that will take over the helm of the boat of Christ with a firm hand, guiding it through the stormy waters of the contemporary world", the message continues. The bishops assured the Holy Father of their constant prayers, that Jesus Christ may give him "force, perseverance and great hope", and prayed to Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, patron Saint of Slovakia, to protect his Pontificate. From Ukraine, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Greek-Catholic Church of Ukraine (UGCC), told the Religious Information Service in Ukraine that an UGCC priest, F. Stepan Chmil, was the spiritual guide of pope Francis during the years of his religious formation" adding that "he has always taken good care of our Church in Argentina". The UGCC leader described pope Francis as "an incredibly modest person, with great intellectual stature", who distinguishes himself for "his passionate dedication for the less fortunate ones".