A new archbishop receives the pallium from Pope Leo XIV during a mass on the day of Saints Peter and Paul feast at St Peter's basilica in The Vatican, on June 29, 2025. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) Photo: TIZIANA FABI/AFP
The head of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC) has spoken to Pope Leo XIV about the climate challenge the region faces.
Archbishop Ryan Jimenez of Agaña, Guam, was one of 54 metropolitan archbishops to receive the pallium - an ancient liturgical vestment that stresses their connection with the Pope.
When he received the pallium, the archbishop said he had had the chance to speak briefly with the Pope.
Leo told him: "You have many challenges in your archdiocese but know that God is with you."
Archbishop Jimenez met privately with Pope Leo a few days after receiving the pallium.
He told Vatican News that just beforehand, he received a message from a colleague in Tuvalu which said: "Please tell the Holy Father that we are sinking."
Archbishop Ryan P. Jimenez stands outside Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome with Guam pilgrim Louise Perez, a Mercy Associate with the Guam Sisters of Mercy. Photo: Archdiocese of Agaña/Facebook
Vatican News reported climate change did feature heavily on the agenda at the archbishop's meeting with the Pope, as did migration.
Archbishop Jimenez told the publication of the challenges of pastoring CEPAC, which is composed of 17 dioceses, jurisdictions, missiones sui iuris, and prefectures.
It encompasses a large area of the Pacific Ocean, from Guam in the west to Tahiti in the southeast.
Jimenez said he noticed early in his career that a particular bishop was always absent from CEPAC meetings - only to be told that he was unable to afford the flights.
Online communication can run into internet connectivity issues, with bishops known to abruptly disappear from video meetings.
Archbishop Jimenez said he does not want to dwell too much on the challenges of living in the Pacific: "It's so important to discuss the joys, too."
He mentioned indigenous groups, from the Chamorro in Guam to the Carolinian in his previous diocese in Chalan Kanoa.
"It's a gift, because each local church expresses the uniqueness of the indigenous cultures, and that uniqueness can also be an important ingredient in the universality of the church."
