Ahead of His Election, Pope Leo XIV Was Elevated to Cardinal-Bishop of Albano

Vatican City, May 9, 2025: Prior to his election as Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elevated by Pope Francis to the rank of cardinal-bishop on February 6, 2025. He was assigned as the titular bishop of the Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano, Italy. The appointment came just weeks before Pope Francis’s death, which subsequently triggered the conclave that elected Prevost as his successor.

In an interview with TV2000 on May 9, 2025, the Bishop of Albano, Monsignor Vincenzo Viva, confirmed that the diocese had been preparing for Cardinal Prevost’s formal possession of the Diocese of Albano, originally scheduled for May 12. That date coincided with the feast of San Pancrazio, the patron saint of the city and the basilica of San Pancrazio. However, the papal transition necessitated a change of plans.

Monsignor Viva recalled a meaningful, informal encounter with then-Cardinal Prevost several months earlier during a dinner at the Pontifical Villas between Castel Gandolfo and Albano. “We had already spoken by phone,” Viva said. “The dinner offered a more intimate setting to speak openly.”

Reflecting on his impressions of the future pope, Monsignor Viva highlighted Prevost’s “great ability to listen”, his “joyful heart”, and his seriousness of purpose. “He displayed a friendliness of character and an intelligence in navigating sensitive moments,” he added.

Viva also revealed that the diocese had prepared a symbolic gift for their new cardinal-bishop: a silver dish engraved with both Prevost’s episcopal emblem and that of the Diocese of Albano. “It’s difficult to choose a gift for a bishop,” Viva remarked. “So we thought of something meaningful he could keep as a memory of our diocese.”

Although Prevost’s possession of the diocese has yet to occur formally, Viva expressed hope that it will take place in a different format, now that Prevost has assumed the papacy as Pope Leo XIV. The bishop also emphasised the significance of the Pope’s message of peace, dialogue, and missionary spirit, calling it a vision the Diocese of Albano shares and intends to pursue.

By Catholic Connect Reporter