Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
About
Christology
Israel/Palestine
Publications
KermitZarley.com
Archives
Categories
- Angels
- Blog Description
- Book Reviews
- Christian Living
  - Unconditional Love?
- Christianity
- Christology
  - Deity of Christ?
  - Holy Spirit
  - Incarnation?
  - My Change
  - Trinity?
- Church History
- Current Events
- War on Terrorism
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Eschatology
- Ezekiel 38-39
- Last Empire
- Primitive Weapons
- Film Reviews
- God
- Golf
  - Billy Graham
  - Karsten Solheim
  - Lee Trevino
  - Major Championship Winners
  - Masters
  - Purpose
  - Ryder Cup
- Gospel Harmonization
- Interview
- Islam
- Jesus
- Literary Announcements
- Monotheism
- My Books
  - The Restitution of Jesus Christ
- Old Testament
- Politics
- Society of Biblical Literature
- The Bible
- Trinitarianism
- Uncategorized
FREE NEWSLETTER

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
New Pope Leo XIV Echoes Jesus in Saying, “Peace Be With You”

New Pope Leo XIV Echoes Jesus in Saying, “Peace Be With You”

Last updated on: May 12, 2025 at 10:33 pm by Kermit Zarley

0 Comments

New Pope Leo XIV Echoes Jesus in Saying, “Peace Be With You” 2025-05-12T22:33:21-07:00 Kermit Zarley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Pope Leo XIV, May 8, 2025; CREDIT:Edgar Beltran/The Pillar

Robert Francis Prevost: The 267th Roman Catholic Pope

Last Thursday, the Roman Catholic Church’s Conclave—a gathering of 135 cardinals at the Vatican—selected the Church’s 267th pope after only two days of deliberations. For the first time in the Church’s history, the pope is an American. He is from Chicago; he is 69 years old; he is a devout Chicago White Sox baseball fan; and his name is Robert Francis Prevost. His predecessor and friend, Pope Francis, had made him a cardinal in 2023. He had ministered in Peru for twenty years as a bishop.

After the white smoke poured forth from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signifying that Pope Francis’s successor had been chosen, former Cardinal Prevost appeared in the outside balcony to be received as the new pope by the thousands of joyous worshippers gathered below in Vatican Square. His first words were most significant, “Peace be with you.” How so? Pope Leo XIV surely chose these words to echo what the resurrected Jesus first said three times to his shocked disciples gathered together on both the first and second Easter evenings, “Peace be with you.”

Pope Leo XIV and Jesus Said: “Peace Be With You”

Jesus was crucified on Friday at about 9:00 AM (Mark 15.25). He died on the cross at about 3:00 PM that same day (Matthew 27.45-50; Mark 15.33-37). He was entombed before sundown that evening and thus before the Sabbath had begun (Mark 15.46-47—16.1). He arose from the dead at about sunrise on Sunday morning, thus the “third day” after his death. On that first Easter evening, many of Jesus’s disciples who had accompanied him on the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem to observe the Passover feast were now gathered together, probably in the Upper Room where the apostles had eaten the Last Supper with their Lord Jesus.

It is well known from the last chapter of the Gospel of John what the risen Jesus had said three times to the apostle Peter, who on Thursday evening had denied him three times, “Do you love me?” (John 21.15-17). But it is not so well known that the risen Jesus said three times to all of the gathered disciples on those first two Easter evenings, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24.36; John 20.21, 26).

Jesus Appeared to his Disciples the 1st & 2nd Easter Evenings

We read in the Gospel of John, in John 20.19-29 (NRSV), “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this he showed them his hands and his said. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’

“But Thomas (who was called the Twin), on of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to then, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

“A week alter his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my said. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.'”

Conclusion

I think it is most significant that the first words to the Church and the world by Pope Lew XIV were these that the risen Jesus first said to his gathered disciples. How so? It indicates that, as a former Augustinian bishop, this pope’s emphasis will be, as it should be, on the resurrected and glorified Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, of whom the apostle Paul wrote, “Christ is the head of the church” (Ephesians 5.23).

Robert Francis Prevost

Previous Post

May 4, 2025

Trump as Pope? Isn't that Being Sacrilegious?

Next Post

May 14, 2025 When Romans 13 Meets Tyranny: Interpreting Obedience

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Glen, you seem to be advocating a preterist viewpoint, with which I disagree." I'm a ..."

Kermit Zarley

Family Estrangement Versus Honoring Father and ..."

"THESIS is a SCRIPTURE QUOTE.“Remember the predictions foretold by the holy prophets and by the ..."

glen smith

Family Estrangement Versus Honoring Father and ..."

"How are they going to answer it. They don't have unlimited financial resources. They're trying ..."

Kermit Zarley

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Getting Much Worse

"...but isn't that an important question to answer?"

Harold Porter

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Getting Much Worse

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Angels Billy Graham Blog Description Book Reviews Christian Living Christianity Christology Church History Current Events Deity of Christ? Disarmament Eschatology Evangelicalism Ezekiel 38-39 Film Reviews God Golf Gospel Harmonization Health History Holy Spirit Incarnation? Interview Islam Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Jesus Last Empire Literary Announcements Major Championship Winners Masters Monotheism My Books New Testament Old Testament Politics Primitive Weapons Ryder Cup Science Society of Biblical Literature The Bible The Restitution of Jesus Christ Trinitarianism Trinity? Uncategorized Unconditional Love? War on Terrorism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many people did Jesus feed with five loaves and two fish?

Select your answer to see how you score.

About 7000 About 12 About 5000 men About 100

Books by This Author Books by Kermit Zarley Blog

See All Titles »