13/04/2026
"I am Roman."
- His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
May 25, 2025
When Pope Leo XIV declared, “I am Roman,” he was not speaking of politics, nor of worldly authority. He was affirming something far deeper—the sacred identity of being part of the Church founded by Christ Himself.
To be “Roman” is to belong to the See of Peter, to stand in the line of succession that began when Jesus said to Saint Peter: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” It is a declaration that the papacy is not chosen by the powers of the world, but is part of the unbroken apostolic succession, a mission handed down from Christ through the ages.
This is why the words of Donald Trump stand in sharp contrast. To claim that a Pope’s place is shaped by political leadership reflects a misunderstanding of what the Church truly is. The Chair of Peter is not given by presidents, governments, or influence, it is entrusted through the Holy Spirit, through the continuity of the Church Christ established.
“I am Roman” therefore becomes a quiet but powerful response. It says:
I belong not to the powers of this world, but to a Kingdom not of this world.
It reminds us that while earthly leaders rise and fall, the Church endures, not because of human strength, but because Christ remains its head.
And for us as Catholics, this is an invitation:
To remain faithful not because it is easy,
not because it is popular, but because we are part of something eternal.
We, too, are within that story, a Church wounded yet enduring, tested yet standing, held together not by power, but by grace.
For in the end, it is not politics that sustains the Church, it is Christ, who continues to lead it through every age.
