My Thoughts on Pope Leo XIV

Last week, we welcomed our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. It is always a joyful occasion when a new pope is elected, but for those of us in America, this time was even more so because it was an American born pope for the first time in history. But no matter where he was born, what’s important is that we get a holy man who will lead his flock on the path to salvation and not lead them astray. Pope Leo seems to be a very prayerful, kind, and gentle man who listens and thinks things through before he acts. He has a great devotion to Our Lady and is an Augustinian, a son of St. Augustine, who is one of the great Doctors of the Church. It is too early to tell how his pontificate will go, but there are reasons to hope that it will be unifying and a bit more conservative than the last pontificate.

There have been some questions about Pope Leo’s theological leanings, but it was encouraging to see him walk out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s in the traditional red cope and stoll which is usually what newly elected popes wear. I was also encouraged that his first Mass with the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel was done entirely in Latin (except for the readings) and that he invited the Vatican journalists to pray together with him in Latin before his audience with them. Praying in and saying the Mass in the Church’s official language reminds the faithful of its importance and the primacy that it should have. Pope Leo also held an audience with Eastern Catholic leaders in which he discussed the importance of liturgy and commended them for the beauty of their liturgy, which he said is needed to help recover the sense of mystery and of the primacy of God. This is encouraging as it points to a focus on the liturgy and the importance of reverence that wasn’t always seen in the previous pontificate.

The feeling of optimism and hopefulness going into this papacy seems to be warranted and it is worth remembering that, as EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo noted following Pope Leo’s election, things that were done in the past by a man as priest, bishop, and cardinal don’t necessarily reflect what kind of pope he will be. We were also reminded by our priest this past weekend that no matter who is pope and what happens during their pontificate, we will still always have the promise of Jesus when He spoke to Peter: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against It” (Matthew 16:18). Let us pray every day for our Church and our new Holy Father Pope Leo XIV, that the Holy Spirit may guide him and grant him wisdom and courage to guide the faithful in all truth.