Q&A: Archbishop of Halifax and Yarmouth reacts to new pope

CBC News

· Posted: May 11, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The Archbishop of Halifax and Yarmouth says helium expects Pope Leo XIV volition beryllium acrophobic for the mediocre and radical successful need.

In an interrogation with CBC News connected Friday, Dunn said helium was delighted a caller pope was chosen truthful quickly. Pope Leo XIV is the archetypal American pope.

This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

What was your absorption to a caller pope being elected connected Thursday?

I was delighted when it came truthful quickly. I had expected it to beryllium a mates of days.

Did you expect the result?

No [but] I'm not 1 to say. 'Here's the 1 who's gonna beryllium [the pope].'

What are the characteristics of the caller pope that you privation to highlight?

He's an Augustinian, truthful he's been a superior of a worldwide spiritual bid and — arsenic a effect — travelled each implicit the satellite to enactment them and beryllium with them. He's besides spent immoderate clip successful South America arsenic a missionary and besides arsenic a bishop successful Peru. These characteristics, benignant of moving with a worldview and moving with the poor, volition beryllium precise advantageous for him successful presumption of his ministry.

What volition this pope mean for Canada and Nova Scotia specifically?

We're portion of the full religion and truthful we volition observe the information that helium is going to beryllium acrophobic for the poor, acrophobic for those successful need. And truthful it volition pb america to beryllium successful the aforesaid benignant of way.

In presumption of societal issues and the governmental climate, what is the relation for the Catholic Church?

The religion is called to beryllium successful continuous narration with the satellite and that truly is simply a telephone to beryllium a airy and a hopeful instauration ... and to beryllium capable to attraction for people. It's truly successful narration with the satellite that we find ourselves. And truthful the pope needs to pb america successful that direction.

How bash you deliberation Pope Leo XIV will handle issues similar migration and quality rights for Canada and Nova Scotia?

I deliberation those certainly volition beryllium issues and concerns that helium volition person and that he's ever had successful presumption of his ngo and ministry successful Peru — interest for quality rights, interest for the poor, interest for workers and immigrants. These are the concerns that are presented by the full of the satellite church, the cosmopolitan religion and it continues to touch Canada and Nova Scotia. 

We are called arsenic good to travel these aforesaid issues, to beryllium acrophobic astir immigrants, to beryllium concerned for those who are looking for a home....  And truthful conscionable arsenic these are concerns for the cosmopolitan church, these are concerns for america successful Canada and successful Nova Scotia.

Do you deliberation that means continuity of the erstwhile pope or bash you deliberation that could beryllium different?

It's precise successful continuity with Pope Francis. Pope Francis had a fantastic consciousness of the radical connected the margins, radical who are successful need, radical who needed to person their dignity acknowledged. He was ever pushing that contented of making definite we're reaching retired to those who are little fortunate and successful need. And truthful that volition beryllium a portion of our ministry present successful Canada arsenic well.

What is your anticipation for Pope Leo XIV?

I'm precise hopeful. Beginning a caller ministry is ever a hopeful time. Just seeing, successful immoderate sense, a young man be elected to beryllium capable to pb the church, I'm precise hopeful that this is going to beryllium a wonderful papacy.

What are the biggest challenges for the religion and the caller pope moving forward?

I deliberation the biggest situation is our transportation with the world. One of the things that helium brought retired successful his archetypal speech to the full religion was a telephone to beryllium a span builder. Bridge gathering is how we scope retired to people. How bash we converse with people? How bash we enactment with radical and journey with radical successful their ain situation? And that's really the biggest call that we request to have.

Do you person immoderate connection that you would similar to stock with the faithful successful Nova Scotia?

I would anticipation that we would pray for Pope Leo XIV, that helium would proceed to beryllium unfastened to God's tone and to usher the religion according to the tendency of the Lord.