As the new Pope, taking the name Leo XIV, begins his ministry claiming the succession of Pope Leo XIII – who held firm views and knowledge on the Church's theology, social outlook, scientific perspectives, as well as on devotion to the Sacred Heart, Marian devotion, devotion to Saint Michael, the importance of the Eastern Churches, and the Church's international relations – the world watches intently the revitalized face of the Church in the third millennium.

Whenever I write about our Pope Leo XIV on social media, I unknowingly type Leo XIII, and several friends have corrected me more than once. Pope Leo XIII, who led the Church decades before my birth, is the Pope closest to my heart. In my speeches, I often used to refer to many events and scriptures related to him. However, the world discussing him again will be beneficial for the Church and the new Pope.

The very motto of the Little Flower Mission League, which I love the most and with which I have been actively involved for the longest time, is the famous saying of Pope Leo XIII: "Bharathame Nin Raksha Nin Makkalil" (India, Your Salvation is in Your Children).

It was also Pope Leo XIII who established the Vicariate of Kottayam, the former form of the Archdiocese of Changanassery & Trichur which stands tall as the pride of the Syro-Malabar Church.

His encyclical Orientalium Dignitas, written in 1894, urging the preservation of the traditions, liturgy, heritage, and faith fervor of the Eastern Churches, remains a crucial document that guides the Church even today.

His encyclical Rerum Novarum, reminding us of the rights of workers, continues to be a guiding light for all systems striving to build an egalitarian and beautiful socialist society. Through this document, he reminds the world that the solution to achieving equality in society and securing the rights of workers lies not in employer-employee antagonism.

A devotee of the Rosary, it was he who declared the month of October as the Month of the Rosary. He is known in the Church as the "Rosary Pope."

It was also Leo XIII who composed the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, beloved by the faithful. He dedicated the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and worked to promote devotion to the Sacred Heart.

Blessed Elena Guerra, known as the Apostle of the Holy Spirit, wrote approximately 13 letters to the then Pope Leo XIII, requesting action for a new Pentecost in the Church. As a result, the encyclical Provida Matris Caritate (1895) was written, and the doors of St. Peter's Basilica were opened to the wind of the Holy Spirit. 

Subsequently, he wrote an encyclical on the Holy Spirit and urged bishops to be open to the workings of the Holy Spirit. Cardinal Candelamesa, a renowned theologian and confessor to Popes, firmly states that the opening of the Church's doors to the Holy Spirit was the reason for the beginning of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the Second Vatican Council.

In any case, as the new Pope Leo XIV takes on the leadership of the ministry following the path of Leo XIII and adopting his name, we pray that a new Pentecost may dawn once again upon the Catholic Church.