VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinals described as the leading champions of the conservative cause have warmly welcomed the election of Pope Leo XIV, as messages of support have come in from far and wide.
Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke and Robert Cardinal Sarah have both issued warm messages of welcome to the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.
In a statement issued online, Burke wrote of his gratitude to God “for the election” of the new Pope, and urged a continuation of prayers for the Pontiff.
Please join me in thanking Our Lord for the election of Pope Leo XIV, Successor of Saint Peter, as the Shepherd of the Church throughout the world. The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe at La Crosse has a particularly strong bond with the Roman Pontiff, especially through its affiliation with the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
I urge all pilgrims and friends of the Shrine to pray fervently for Pope Leo XIV that Our Lord, through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Peter Apostle, and Pope Saint Leo the Great, will grant him abundant wisdom, strength, and courage to do all that Our Lord is asking of Him in these tumultuous times. May God bless Pope Leo and grant him many years. Viva il Papa!
For his part, Sarah posted a number of quotations online drawn directly from Leo XIV’s first address given on the Vatican loggia last night.
« God cares for us, God loves all of us, and evil will not prevail ! We are all in God’s hands. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us move forward. » pic.twitter.com/AkHijYfYdK
— Cardinal R. Sarah (@Card_R_Sarah) May 8, 2025
To these, the 79-year-old cardinal added his own short commentary: “Great joy! May God abundantly bless Pope Leo XIV! We pray fervently!”
Sarah had been spoken of as papabile, when in previous days Vatican analysts and pundits were attempting to predict the outcome of the conclave.
Burke, in turn, had been posited by some as having key influence on the “conservative bloc” in the College of Cardinals, although not understood to have been thought of as a likely candidate to emerge as pope himself.
The fact that both cardinals have been prominent in leading messages of support for the American Pope Leo XIV has caused some to theorize that the new pontificate might align more closely with Catholic tradition than that of Pope Francis.
As a cardinal and bishop, Prevost has been described as somewhat center-left. One former member of the Augustinians claimed that Prevost – an Augustinian himself – was “not a fan of tradition or the Old Rite.”
However, in recent hours a contradictory report has also emerged, in which it was claimed that a reliable eyewitness saw Cardinal Prevost offer the traditional Mass while working in the Roman Curia in recent years.
LifeSiteNews has not been able to confirm the report as yet.
