The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent a letter expressing their “warmest regards” to Pope Leo XIV — praising the pontiff’s “lifetime of faith and admirable character” on the weekend of his Mass of Inauguration in Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday.
“May the Lord guide and sustain you as you embark on this weighty new ministry that is so vital and needed in the world today,” wrote President Russell M. Nelson and his counselors in the First Presidency, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring.
Elder Matthew S. Holland, a General Authority Seventy, represented the Church of Jesus Christ at the Inauguration Mass and delivered the congratulatory letter from the First Presidency to the Vatican. He also joined other global faith representatives for a private audience with Pope Leo today, according to a release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
“On behalf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we send our warmest regards upon your election as the Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church,” wrote the First Presidency. “This vital responsibility requires great wisdom, humility, strength, and compassion. Your lifetime of faith and admirable character leave you well prepared to answer this call to serve God’s children.”
The letter noted the longstanding relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church — something the First Presidency said they “deeply appreciate” — and the efforts of both religions to “relieve suffering around the globe.”
“We look forward to continuing our work towards a world where peace, human life and dignity, and religious freedom are cherished and protected,” they wrote. “We share your commitment to follow the example of Jesus Christ and welcome further opportunities to collaborate in caring for those in need.”
Other greetings to Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV is the successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88. The conclave to choose a new leader began on Wednesday, May 7.
White smoke appeared at the Vatican a day later, signaling that the 133 cardinals sequestered in the Sistine Chapel had made a selection. A little more than an hour later, Pope Leo XIV greeted the public from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
Latter-day Saint leaders also sent the pontiff a message of goodwill on that day.
“On behalf of the leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we extend heartfelt prayers and greetings to Pope Leo XIV,” wrote President Nelson, President Oaks and President Eyring in a May 8 statement. “This significant moment in time for the Catholic Church is a reminder of the enduring importance of faith to people everywhere.”
The leaders noted that “as fellow followers of Jesus Christ,” they look forward to continued opportunities to work together to bless the lives of God’s children everywhere.
“May we strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ to care for the poor and needy, become peacemakers and create a world where faith and goodness can flourish,” they wrote.
“As fellow followers of Jesus Christ, we look forward to continued opportunities to work together to bless the lives of God’s children everywhere. May we strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ to care for the poor and needy, become peacemakers and create a world where faith and goodness can flourish.”
Latter-day Saint visits to the Vatican
On March 9, 2019, President Nelson visited the Vatican — meeting with Pope Francis in the first meeting of its kind between leaders of the two faiths.
“We had a most cordial, unforgettable experience with His Holiness. He was most gracious and warm and welcoming. What a sweet, wonderful man he is, and how fortunate the Catholic people are to have such a gracious, concerned, loving and capable leader,” President Nelson said.
In addition to that meeting, other Latter-day Saint leaders have participated in interfaith dialogue at the Vatican, including President Eyring, who shook hands with Pope Francis during a Vatican summit on marriage in 2014, according to ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
In 2010, the late President M. Russell Ballard visited Catholic leaders at the Vatican. In 1995, the late President Gordon B. Hinckley gave a copy of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism to the Vatican Library.
Catholic and Latter-day Saint leaders have also met in many other places. For example, in 2010 the late Cardinal Francis George (1937–2015), then the leader of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke at Brigham Young University and met with Latter-day Saint apostles. Apostles have discussed issues of common ground with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York. And several Catholic leaders have made visits to Utah. This includes Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville (then the president of the USCCB), who visited Temple Square in 2016, and Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, who has spoken at Brigham Young University several times. In 2015, Archbishop Chaput invited Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to share principles Latter-day Saints employ to strengthen families during the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.
In Utah, the church has cultivated a strong relationship in recent decades with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City. President Ballard and Elder Christofferson joined Catholics in Utah for the installation of Bishop Oscar A. Solis, who was appointed by Pope Francis in 2017 to lead Catholics in Utah. President Ballard also attended the installation mass for Archbishop John C. Wester in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Archbishop Wester, Bishop Solis’s predecessor, was the Catholic bishop in Utah for eight years.
The letter to Pope Leo XIV
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City
Your Holiness:
On behalf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we send our warmest regards upon your election as the Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. This vital responsibility requires great wisdom, humility, strength, and compassion. Your lifetime of faith and admirable character leave you well prepared to answer this call to serve God’s children.
We deeply appreciate our longstanding relationship with the Catholic Church and the many ways we have worked together to relieve suffering around the globe. We look forward to continuing our work towards a world where peace, human life and dignity, and religious freedom are cherished and protected. We share your commitment to follow the example of Jesus Christ and welcome further opportunities to collaborate in caring for those in need.
May the Lord guide and sustain you as you embark on this weighty new ministry that is so vital and needed in the world today.
Sincerely,
Russell M. Nelson
Dallin H. Oaks
Henry B. Eyring