Habemus Papam! We have a pope! The world heard those joyful and ancient words from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica last week, as Pope Leo XIV emerged on the balcony for the first time and gave his first blessing to the city of Rome and to the world.
His election certainly took all of us by surprise. The first pope from the United States, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was probably the least known American cardinal.
Getting to know the new pope
Pope Leo certainly has an impressive background. Reared on the south side of Chicago, he is an Augustinian priest with advanced degrees in canon law. He served extensively as a missionary in Peru, in pastoral work, as well as seminary formation and diocesan administration. He was the Prior General of his Order and became a bishop in Peru.
Only made a cardinal in 2023, Pope Leo most recently served as the prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops, responsible for the appointment of bishops throughout the world.
Well-traveled, speaking five languages, and knowledgeable of the reality of the Church throughout the world, Pope Leo is well prepared to serve the Universal Church as the Successor of St. Peter and the Vicar of Christ.
His choice of name leads us to study the lives of two other Pope Leos — Pope Leo XIII and Pope Leo the Great.
The former served as the Vicar of Christ from 1878 until 1903, one of the longest pontificates in history.
Pope Leo XIII is most known for penning Rerum Novarum, the first encyclical in the Church’s rich compendium of Catholic social teaching.
The late 19th century saw the explosion of the industrial revolution, as factories and mass production brought millions of people to cities, looking for employment.
Inhumane living and working conditions, unjust wages, and a dehumanized social environment caused tremendous suffering and injustice to workers.
Pope Leo laid out in Rerum Novarum the Church’s thoughts on this social question, upholding the significance of work and the right to private property, but also the rights of workers and the primacy of human dignity.
He also defended the rights of the Church against the anti-clerical forces of Italian unification.
St. Leo the Great reigned as pope from 440 to 461. A brilliant theologian, Leo the Great wrote extensively on Christology, upholding the Church’s teaching on Jesus Christ as a Divine Person with both a divine and human nature.
He developed the understanding of papal authority and, most famously, he met Attila the Hun at the gates of Rome and convinced him not to sack the city.
His feast day is November 10.
The next Pope Leo
By choosing the name of Leo, our current Holy Father signals that he will seek to engage the Church with the world, applying Catholic social teaching to the current questions of globalization, artificial intelligence, and the other challenges of technology.
Having lived and worked with the poor for decades, his missionary experience will certainly frame his concern for the marginalized and suffering across the globe.
Pope Leo has also strongly signaled his firm conviction to continue on the path of evangelization, with Christ as the center point of the Church’s proclamation of the Gospel, the call of missionary discipleship, the continued implementation of the Second Vatican Council, and dialogical engagement with the wider world.
We will certainly with interest how his American identity may shape or influence his leadership and impact both on the Church and global affairs.
As American Catholics, we can certainly take pride in the fact that a fellow citizen has become the Successor of St. Peter.
United States Catholicism is flourishing, fruitful, and generous, and we rejoice in the Lord’s provident graces which He has poured upon us.
Pray for Pope Leo and for his pontificate. May he be blessed by the Lord and lead the Catholic Church with wisdom, love, fortitude, and grace.
Long live Pope Leo XIV!