St Mary’s University, London, welcomes His Holiness Pope Leo XIV as leader of the Catholic Church, joining the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, and many others, in celebration.
The first person born in the USA to become supreme head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV delivered his first public address and blessing in St Peter’s Square on Thursday evening (9 May 2025) in both Italian and Spanish, having spent years as a missionary, and later as an Archbishop, in Peru.
Vice-Chancellor of St Mary’s University, Professor Anthony McClaran, welcomed the news, “On behalf of our whole University community at St Mary’s, I would like to share our joy, as the Catholic Church celebrates His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. Much like the community spirit felt throughout our campus in London, the celebrations in St Peter’s Square showed the spirit of the church in all its rich diversity, and we join our wider Catholic family in welcoming the new pope.
“In choosing the name Leo, the Pope has signalled a commitment to social justice: Leo XIII, in his encyclical Rerum Novarum, tackled the challenges posed by industrial society and formed the basis for modern Catholic Social Teaching – an area which St Mary’s continues to teach and apply today. At a time when the world seems uncertain, and in many ways divided, we will look to the Holy Father for inspiration and guidance as we continue to develop and live out the mission of St Mary’s University. May he continue the legacy of his predecessor Pope Francis, and lead with faith and compassion.”
As a Catholic University, St Mary’s focuses on the whole person, helping them to grow in learning and maturity, and to grow in ethical awareness through our teaching and pastoral care. The University’s academic research also extends to the betterment and protection of its wider communities, and the planet.
Professor McClaran added, “Each year, we prepare hundreds of schoolteachers, lawyers and entrepreneurs, actors, physiotherapists, sports coaches and scientists to do good in the world. They are the legacy of this University.
“In his first address from St Peter’s to the Church and the world, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful to “move forward, without fear, united, hand-in-hand with God and with each other.” For our part, as a Catholic university, we will determinedly pursue our vision to create young leaders who are confident and united in their mission to have a positive impact of society.”
The University, which is currently celebrating its 175-year anniversary, has had strong links with the Papacy, particularly in recent years.
In 2010 Pope Benedict XVI visited St Mary's as part of the first Papal Visit to the UK since 1982. During the visit he attended three events on campus: the Big Assembly, which saw school children from across the country celebrate Catholic education in the UK, an interfaith forum and the celebration of Mass in the University Chapel.
Professor Francis Campbell, St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor from 2014 to 2020, had previously been the first Catholic to serve as the UK’s ambassador to the Holy See since the Reformation.
In 2024, current Vice-Chancellor Professor Anthony McClaran met Pope Francis with the International Federation of Catholic Universities, and students and staff from St Mary’s also embarked on a Lenten pilgrimage to Rome, attending an audience with the Holy Father. A number of staff and a governor of the University attended a private audience with Pope Francis in late 2024.
The University community also joined the British Embassy in the Holy See in delegation to meet with Pope Francis on Anti-Slavery Day in 2023. The delegation from the St Mary’s Bakhita Centre presented the Holy Father with artwork created by residents of Bakhita House, a refuge for women who have been trafficked, enslaved or exploited.
The University has also enacted the teachings of recent Popes, with the Benedict XVI Centre for Religion and Society founded following his visit in 2010, Guardians of Creation, founded to respond to Pope Francis’s first encyclical Laudato Si’ to investigate the technical, sociological, organisational, and theological paths to sustainable and ecologically sensitive change in the Church. In addition, the Bakhita Centre was established directly as a result of the late Pope’s concerns about human trafficking.