Bishop Zammit welcomes friendly, humble and gentle Pope Leo XIV

Moments after Pope Leo XIV was appointed by the conclave, Bishop of Gibraltar Carmel Zammit, praised his friendly, humble and gentle nature.

Bishop Zammit met Pope Leo last year when he was cardinal Robert Prevost during a visit to Rome, where they discussed the Gibraltar in an hour-long meeting.

At the time, Bishop Zammit was in Rome to give a report on the local diocese as his tenure as Bishop of Gibraltar is coming to an end.

He said they had a long chat where he found Pope Leo to be very friendly, humble, and not authoritative.

“I was impressed by his humility and gentleness,” he said.

“He was very attentive.”

Bishop Zammit said Pope Leo has a good experience with humanity, having served in Peru for many years.

“This man knows what it means to live in poverty,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV has named himself after Pope Leo XIII, who Bishop Zammit said, wrote about social justice and the rights of workers during the 19th century.

He added that Pope Leo’s speech on St Peter’s balcony had echoed statements from Pope Francis that the church needs to build bridges, rather than erect walls.