Pope Leo XIV, may you be a blessing to the world

This post was written in two parts. The first part was written as the conclave began, before a new pope was made known. The second was written over the past weekend, as information about the man chosen, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now to be known as Pope Leo XIV, emerged.

Thoughts while waiting for a new pope . . .

Pope Francis is gone. The Pope who restored my faith in the Church. The Pope who refocused my eyes and ears on Jesus - his mercy, his courage, his patience, his determination to encounter and serve those who were most in need.

I’m not sure what I thought the Church was doing prior to that. Trying to build a bulwark behind which it could feel safe and secure? Keeping itself apart and far away from sin and sinners? Resigned to the idea that not all could be saved?

The papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI (from 1978 to 2013) made up most of my adult life - from young adult myself - to mother of young adults. Neither of these men touched my heart or changed my life. I’m not sure if that says more about me, or about them.

At the time I am writing this, the man who will be the new Pope is not known. He is part of the stardust swirling round in the Cardinal-electors minds and hearts, hopefully on the wind of the Holy Spirit.

Once he is known, he will step out on that balcony in Rome. His first words will be analyzed and his choice of a name parsed for some hidden meaning, some indication about what his papacy will be. His life story - from boyhood, to vocation, to career within the Church - will be examined. His gifts and his flaws duly noted.

But that will not be who he will be as Pope.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, was one man early in his faith life, and another entirely as Pope. A “by the book” cleric who was somber and risk-averse became a pope who was joyful and possessed of a kind of freedom in the Spirit that terrified some and inspired others. A man who made mistakes and had regrets became a Pope who was confident in only one thing - the mercy of God. A mercy he had experienced himself so often.

That was the God Pope Francis preached in his papacy. A God of mercy, who wanted all to experience his love, his goodwill, his longing for us to return to him and love one another as he loves us.

So, when all is said and done and the new pope steps up on that balcony, we’ll learn a lot about him, but we won’t know who he will be as pope. What will he reveal to us about God? I don’t know, and only time and the Spirit will tell.

Thoughts after learning we have
a new Pope . . .

Wow! That happened quicker than I thought it would. On Thursday, about noon, less than 24 hours after the voting began, I received texts from friends that white smoke had been spotted emerging from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel.

The new Pope, formerly Robert Francis Prevost, was an American from Chicago, an Augustinian friar. I say “was,” because from now on, history and the world will know him by his chosen name, Leo XIV. And what a name he has chosen! But I’ll get back to that in a bit.

The number of surprises and unlikely circumstances in his elevation to Pope makes me increasingly sure that the Holy Spirit had an integral part in this momentous decision.

First, the Pope is an American, something that most observers and insiders thought could never happen. Although he was born in Chicago and attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania, he has spent almost all his years serving the Church in Peru as a missionary, a teacher, and a judicial vicar. In fact, he is a naturalized Peruvian citizen.

This long tenure in South America was interrupted for twelve years when he was elected by his brother Augustinians to be head of their Order. When Prevost completed that assignment, he was sent back to Peru by Francis and appointed Bishop of Chiclayo.

Cardinal Prevost’s long and varied career undoubtedly was of importance to the Cardinal-electors, and the pre-conclave assessment of him was that he was “the least American of the Americans.” Post-conclave, information emerged that his brother cardinals saw him as a missionary, one who is close to the poor, and the effective head of a large religious order.

And then there is his chosen Name – Pope Leo XIV.

There is a long-standing belief that the name chosen by a Pope provides insight into what kind of pope he will be. Who he considers his spiritual forebearer, and how he hopes his papacy will impact the world.

I would have to say that I know five or six popes by name. Three of those have been popes during my adult life - John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. The two other Popes that I know well are the popes of Vatican II – John XXIII and Paul VI, in which I have had a long-standing interest.

The sixth and final Pope I know by name is Leo XIII, the pope that headed the Church from 1878 – 1903. I know him because he was the first pope to explicitly use our Faith to take a stand against injustice in the world. He spoke out against the injustices perpetrated by factory owners against workers during the early part of the Industrial Revolution – poor wages, long hours, unsafe working conditions, child labor.

Pope Leo XIII turned the Church’s face toward the world. He brought the witness of the Church, the witness of Christ, to bear on issues beyond church doors – to the poor, to the life and dignity of the human person, to the rights of work and the dignity of workers.

Could it be that Pope Leo XIV will continue and expand this powerful and much needed witness to the world? I pray and hope it will be so.

Two other points before I close.

First, Cardinal Prevost was a man trusted and esteemed by Pope Francis. Francis made him the head of the Dicastery of Bishops, helping Francis find bishops that would be “good shepherds,” good pastors to their people, and shaping the future leadership of the Church. As a result of his service, Francis made him a Cardinal in 2023.

Then, just before his final illness, on February, Francis raised Cardinal Prevost to Cardinal-Bishop, a distinguished rank among cardinals, of which there are only a handful.

Apparently, there are three ranks of Cardinals – cardinal deacons, cardinal priests, and cardinal bishops. Who knew? But I see that elevation as significant, a sign of the confidence Pope Francis had in Robert Prevost. Some have even speculated that this was a sign that Francis had chosen Prevost as his successor. We’ll never really know.

Either way, I am filled with hope as Pope Leo XIV begins his papacy. He will need our prayers and our engagement as he leads our Church into the future. He had the trust and confidence of Pope Francis, and his brother Augustinians. He chose the name of Leo as a sign of his commitment to social justice.

It is enough, more than enough, for me to give thanks.