Closing out on 2025, Pope Leo XIV thanked the city of Rome and its volunteers who helped the millions of pilgrims visiting St Peter’s, as well as praying that we ‘welcome foreigners’
Pope Leo XIV has bid farewell to 2025 with a prayer, hoping that the city of Rome will be a welcoming place for foreigners and fragile people, young and old. The Pope led a New Year’s Eve vespers service at St Peter’s Basilica, giving thanks to the ‘holy year’ of 2025 which saw millions of pilgrims to Rome.
Celebrating a quarter-of-a-century of Christianity, Leo will officially close out the ceremonies on January 6. In his address, he thanked the city of Rome, as well as the volunteers who kept crowds moving while they flocked to visit St Peter’s. It comes after the Pope ‘might address first contact with aliens’ which could send shockwaves through the Vatican.
The Pope said: “I would like it to be so again, and I would say even more so after this time of grace. What can we wish for Rome? That it may be worthy of its little ones.
“Of children, of lonely and fragile elderly people, of families who struggle to get by, of men and women who have come from afar hoping for a dignified life.”
It comes as the Pope’s new astronomer says he would baptise an alien. Father Richard D’Souza conceded religion would have to ‘reimagine itself’ if mankind has first contact with ET.
But he believes ET would be one of God’s creatures and as such would be entitled to join the faith.
The cleric has just been appointed chief astronomer to Pope Leo XIV. His role as the new director of the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo near Rome puts him at the spot where religious belief and scientific understanding meet.
Father Richard, 47, accepted finding intelligent extraterrestrial life would have a seismic impact on religion and the history of mankind. But he would welcome aliens into the Catholic church.
Asked if he would perform an alien baptism he replied: “Yes, yes. Theology would have to reimagine itself and take into consideration these other beings. They are all part of God’s creation. They would be children of God. I believe in a benevolent Creator. He is behind everything.”
He said there would be some practical hurdles to overcome before he could carry out the ceremony. “We do believe that baptism has to be in presence,” he said.
“The question would be how to reach them or how they would reach us. These are the practical problems to solve before we even talk about baptism.”
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