Pope Leo XIV celebrated his milestone 70th birthday Sept. 14 with enhanced festivities that included a spectacular 3,000-drone light show by Nova Sky Stories over the Vatican the night before 
. The Chicago-born pontiff, who became the youngest pope in over three decades when elected in May, marked his first papal birthday with thousands of faithful gathering in St. Peter's Square for the traditional Angelus prayer 
.
During the Angelus, the Pope expressed gratitude, saying 'My dears, it seems you know that today I turn 70 years old. I give thanks to the Lord, to my parents, and I thank those who have remembered me in prayer' 
. A Peruvian delegation wearing traditional attire from Monsefú performed the marinera dance and displayed banners reading 'Feliz cumpleaños,' honoring the Pope's two decades of missionary work in Peru 
.
The Vatican released excerpts from the Pope's first papal interview for the biography 'Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century,' where he reflected on his 'huge learning curve' as pontiff, describing the role as 'jumping in on the deep end of the pool very quickly' . In a notable critique, Pope Leo XIV warned about growing wealth inequality, citing Elon Musk's potential to become the world's first trillionaire, saying 'If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we're in big trouble' .
The celebration featured a pre-birthday concert with world-class performers including Jennifer Hudson, Andrea Bocelli, Pharrell Williams, and John Legend . Italian leaders sent congratulatory messages, with President Sergio Mattarella praising the Pope's 'energetic call' for peace and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni describing his teachings as providing 'solid guidance in extremely complex times' 
. The festivities concluded with cake cutting and birthday toasts with cardinals at the Basilica of St. Paul after the Pope presided over a commemoration of 21st-century martyrs 
.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated his milestone 70th birthday Sept. 14 with enhanced festivities that included a spectacular 3,000-drone light show by Nova Sky Stories over the Vatican the night before . The Chicago-born pontiff, who became the youngest pope in over three decades when elected in May, marked his first papal birthday with thousands of faithful gathering in St. Peter's Square for the traditional Angelus prayer .
During the Angelus, the Pope expressed gratitude, saying 'My dears, it seems you know that today I turn 70 years old. I give thanks to the Lord, to my parents, and I thank those who have remembered me in prayer' . A Peruvian delegation wearing traditional attire from Monsefú performed the marinera dance and displayed banners reading 'Feliz cumpleaños,' honoring the Pope's two decades of missionary work in Peru .
The Vatican released excerpts from the Pope's first papal interview for the biography 'Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century,' where he reflected on his 'huge learning curve' as pontiff, describing the role as 'jumping in on the deep end of the pool very quickly' . In a notable critique, Pope Leo XIV warned about growing wealth inequality, citing Elon Musk's potential to become the world's first trillionaire, saying 'If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we're in big trouble' .
The celebration featured a pre-birthday concert with world-class performers including Jennifer Hudson, Andrea Bocelli, Pharrell Williams, and John Legend . Italian leaders sent congratulatory messages, with President Sergio Mattarella praising the Pope's 'energetic call' for peace and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni describing his teachings as providing 'solid guidance in extremely complex times' . The festivities concluded with cake cutting and birthday toasts with cardinals at the Basilica of St. Paul after the Pope presided over a commemoration of 21st-century martyrs .
✅Neutral reporting,
based on 56 🗞 sources
