expressed gratitude on Sunday for the congratulations he received on his 70th birthday, after the recitation of the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, where thousands of faithful had gathered on the special day, among them many Peruvians.
"Dearest ones, it seems you know that today I turn 70," the Pontiff admitted with a playful tone, as from the window of the Apostolic Palace he could see the many banners with which the faithful wished him a happy birthday from the square below.
"I thank the Lord, my parents, and I thank all those who have remembered me in their prayers," he declared, while from the street a band played "Happy Birthday."
The Supreme Pontiff —born in Chicago on September 14, 1955— turned 70 last Sunday and celebrated his first birthday as head of the Holy See.
The date encouraged thousands of faithful to gather in St. Peter's Square to accompany him on the occasion, making the most of his customary appearance at the Palace window for the Marian Angelus.
Among the crowd was a large representation of the Peruvian community in Rome —his compatriots, since Leo XIV also holds Peruvian nationality due to his many years of mission work and as bishop in the South American country.
Therefore, a large banner was unfurled in the square with the red and white colors of the Andean nation's flag, reading "Happy Birthday" from the city of Monsefu, in the northern Chiclayo province, where he had once served as bishop.
During the greetings after the Angelus, His Holiness greeted numerous groups, among them the Peruvians of the religious association "Jesus Nazareno Cautivo de Monsefu."
Meanwhile, the Pope has also received congratulations from leading figures of Italy’s ecclesiastical and political spheres, who have thanked him for his appeals for peace.
The President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in a letter, praised his vigorous call for a disarmed and disarming peace since the moment of his election on May 8.
"In recent years, fears have grown that the world is heading down a dangerous slope, driven by a widespread logic of domination and increasingly marked by devastating conflicts," the Italian head of state lamented.
Meanwhile, just the previous night, thousands of people had wished him a happy birthday during an extraordinary concert in St. Peter’s Square featuring artists such as Karol K, Pharrell Williams, John Legend, and tenor Andrea Bocelli.
In addition, children admitted to the 'Bambino Gesu' hospital sent him drawings depicting him with peace flags, one of the key themes of his magisterium.
With these 70 "candles," Leo XIV is the youngest pope in more than three decades, since the time of John Paul II, who was elected in 1978 at the age of 58 and reached the same age in 1990.
In the meantime, Leo XIV is gradually adapting to his new life as spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, after four months as pope, slowly making himself known with a new style as a discreet man.
The Holy See has taken steps in this regard, producing two YouTube documentaries: the first on his life in Peru and in the Diocese of Chiclayo, and soon another on his childhood, adolescence, as well as anecdotes in his native Chicago.