IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 412 
Congratulating His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his historic election as the 
267th pontiff of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and the first American 
pontiff. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 14, 2025 
Mr. MOORE of West Virginia (for himself, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. BARRETT, Mr. 
ZINKE, Mrs. WAGNER, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. BRESNAHAN, Mr. RULLI, Mrs. 
BICE, Mrs. MCCLAIN, Mr. ROSE, Mr. STEIL, Mr. MESSMER, Mr. 
GIMENEZ, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. HILL of Arkansas, Mr. RUTH-
ERFORD, Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas, Mr. HURD of Colorado, Mr. 
BACON, Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, and Mr. 
STAUBER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Congratulating His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his historic 
election as the 267th pontiff of the Holy Roman Catholic 
Church and the first American pontiff. 
Whereas, on May 8, 2025, white smoke rose from the Sistine 
Chapel, signaling the election of Robert Francis Cardinal 
Prevost as the new Bishop of Rome and head of the 
Roman Catholic Church, taking the papal name Leo 
XIV; 
Whereas Pope Leo XIV is the first American-born pope in 
the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, marking 
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a historic milestone for American Catholics and faithful 
Catholics around the world; 
Whereas, born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, 
to a patriotic American family, Pope Leo XIV was raised 
in the Catholic tradition in Dolton, a working-class sub-
urb where faith, family, and service formed the founda-
tion of his life; 
Whereas a graduate of Villanova University with a degree in 
mathematics and an alumnus of the Catholic Theological 
Union of Chicago, Pope Leo XIV embodies a life com-
mitted to both intellectual and spiritual rigor; 
Whereas as Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine, 
Pope Leo XIV has lived out the Order’s mission to be ‘‘of 
one mind and one heart on the way to God,’’ emphasizing 
humility, unity, and service; 
Whereas Pope Leo XIV spent decades as a missionary and 
church leader in Peru, where he served faithfully as a 
bishop, and ministered to the spiritual and material 
needs of his communities; 
Whereas Pope Leo XIV has exemplified the humility and 
courage of a true servant of Christ, not seeking worldly 
acclaim but bearing witness to the Gospel in places where 
it is often ridiculed or rejected, reminding the faithful 
that a lack of belief often coincides with ‘‘the loss of 
meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations 
of human dignity, the crisis of the family, and so many 
other wounds that afflict our society’’; 
Whereas, in 2023, Pope Francis elevated him to the College 
of Cardinals and appointed him Prefect of the Dicastery 
for Bishops, entrusting him with the vital role of shaping 
episcopal leadership worldwide; 
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Whereas Pope Leo XIV is the first Augustinian pope, con-
tinuing the Church’s long tradition of drawing upon the 
wisdom and example of the great religious orders; 
Whereas he speaks five languages fluently and can read Latin 
and German, reflecting his deep theological formation 
and ability to connect with all members of the Universal 
Catholic Church; 
Whereas the name Leo XIV honors a tradition of socially en-
gaged papacy dating back to Pope Leo I (‘‘Leo the 
Great’’) and Pope Leo XIII, who championed Catholic 
social teaching and the dignity of work; 
Whereas in his ministry and teaching, Pope Leo XIV has 
proclaimed that ‘‘the credibility of the Church does not 
come from popularity, but from fidelity’’, and thus has 
called clergy and laity alike not to shape the Church in 
the image of the world, but to be conformed to Christ 
through truth, chastity, self-sacrifice, and Eucharistic 
love; and 
Whereas his first public words as pope from the central 
loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica were ‘‘Peace be with all of 
you’’, setting the tone for a pontificate grounded in the 
unity, humility, and love of Christ, The Good Shepherd: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) congratulates His Holiness Pope Leo XIV 
on his election as the 267th pope of the Roman 
Catholic Church and the first American to serve in 
this sacred role; 
(2) recognizes the historic significance of his 
election for the American Catholic community; 
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(3) commends Pope Leo XIV for a lifetime of 
service, humility, missionary zeal, and commitment 
to embodying Christ’s mercy and pastoral care; and 
(4) extends our prayers to Pope Leo XIV as he 
begins his pontificate and shepherds the world’s 
1,400,000,000 Catholics with wisdom and grace. 
Æ 
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