Pope Leo sings Marian prayer, prays for young people and vocations

In his first Sunday Regina Coeli address during Easter, Pope Leo XIV gave pilgrims a surprise and sang the traditional Marian prayer, and prayed for increased vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

---

ROME – In his first Sunday Regina Coeli address during Easter, Pope Leo XIV gave pilgrims a surprise and sang the traditional Marian prayer, and prayed for increased vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

Speaking to pilgrims from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo noted that his Sunday, May 11 address coincided with Good Shepherd Sunday, saying it was “a gift” that his service as pope began on that day.

“On this Sunday, we always hear proclaimed at Mass a passage from the tenth chapter from the Gospel of John, where Jesus reveals himself as the true Shepherd: who knows and loves his sheep and gives his life for them,” he said.

Leo noted that it also marked the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which has been observed for 62 years, and that the weekend also coincided with the Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment as part of the broader Jubilee of Hope.

He offered a special greeting to pilgrims and thanked them for their music and performances, saying, “they enliven the feast of Christ the Good Shepherd: the One who guides the Church with his Holy Spirit.”

https://wp.cruxnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/a-singing-pope.mp4
“In the Gospel, Jesus says that he knows his sheep and that they listen to his voice and follow him…Indeed, as Pope Saint Gregory the Great teaches, people ‘respond to the love of those who love them,’” he said.

In this sense, the pope prayed for vocations, especially to the priesthood and consecrated life, saying, “the Church has such a great need for them!”

“It is important that young men and women on their vocational journey find acceptance, listening and encouragement in their communities, and that they can look up to credible models of generous dedication to God and to their brothers and sisters,” he said.

Pope Leo urged faithful to accept his predecessor Pope Francis’s invitation “to welcome and accompany young people.”

He prayed that God would assist believers “in living in service to one another, each according to his or her state of life, shepherds after his own heart capable of helping one another to walk in love and truth,” and asked Mary for her intercession.

After his address, the pope sang the traditional Regina Coeli hymn, and in subsequent remarks noted that May 8, the day of his election, marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, and prayed for peace in the world, making his own the words of Pope John Paul II, “never again war!”

He said he carried in his heart the suffering of the Ukrainian people and voiced hope that “an authentic, just and lasting peace” would soon be reached, and issued an appeal for the exchange of prisoners and asked that Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia would soon be able to “return to their homes.”

Leo also said he was “deeply saddened” by the suffering caused by the conflict in the Gaza Strip, and called for an immediate ceasefire, the facilitation of access to humanitarian aid for “the suffering populations,” and for all Israeli hostages be returned home.

He lauded a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after an explosion of hostilities over the past week, voicing hope that “through negotiations” the parties “can reach a lasting agreement.”

Afterward, he lamented the many other conflicts raging in the world and entrusted them to the intercession of Our Lady Queen of Peace, “so that she can obtain from Jesus the miracle of peace.”

He also wished a happy Mother’s Day to all mothers before leaving.