Praying for Pope Leo XIV

 

Does it seem a little too predictable that I would offer some thoughts about yesterday's election of Pope Leo XIV? Lots of Vatican watchers wondered if there would be an Asian or African pope. Instead it is an American, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. I've chuckled about the "first US pope in 2,000 years of the church's history" comments. Given that the United States is only 250 years old this is an over-gush, but sitll a significant moment. Another "first" from a personal standpoint is that this is the first pope I've experienced who is younger than I am!

Far more important is that most of Prevost/Leo's ministry has been away from the States, working amidst the people of Peru, those who were dear to Pope Francis's heart, the poor and marginalized. According to the CBC:

Back in 2017, during Trump's first term as president, he shared a post from a Jesuit priest that was critical of banning Syrian refugees. "What an immoral nation we are becoming. Jesus weeps," the post reads. Prevost addressed immigration in an August 2024 speech Posted on YouTube.

"There's got to be a way both to solve the problem but also to treat people with respect," he said. "Every one of us — whether we were born in the United States of America or on the North Pole — we all are given that gift of being created the image and likeness of God. And the day we forget that is a day we forget who we are. We forget who Christ has called us to be."

I've written often about the deep, nuanced commitment of Francis to Creation and Creator, reflected in his encyclical, Laudato Si" On Care for Our Common Home. Yesterday there was a Bloomberg piece on whether Leo would follow the lead of Francis in terms of honouring Creation:

Pope Leo XIV Might Be the Climate Champion We Need:The new pontiff appears inclined to follow in his predecessor’s green footsteps.

We’ll learn more about the pope’s views in the days to come. But he is on record telling a seminar last November that the world must move “from words to action” on climate change. In the same speech, he warned that humanity’s “dominion over nature” shouldn’t be “tyrannical” but “a relationship of reciprocity.” He also touted the Vatican’s green record, including purchases of solar panels and electric vehicles — a fleet that now includes the first all-electric Popemobile.

Some of you may have heard the interview with Robert Harris, the author of the novel Conclave on CBC Radio's The Current. I went to the transcript and once again the decision was made to edit out an interviewee's comments about a personal spiritual moment -- who decides to do this? He spoke about reading through the four gospels as part of his preparation to write the book and how moved he was by the simplicity and revolutionary nature of Jesus' message and ministry, contrasted with the power of the Roman Catholic Church. He mentioned that he was inspired to write Conclave while watching the live coverage of the conclave to elect Francis in 2013.

 And just before the new pope appears, the windows on either side — high windows — fill with the faces of the cardinal electors, who've come along to watch the new pope show himself. And the camera panned along and showed the faces and there were all these elderly men: crafty, benign, cunning, tired, exultant. And I was writing novels about Cicero and I thought, "That is the Roman Senate."

Fascinating observations. We can pray for Pope Leo, leader for more than a billion Roman Catholic Christians. He could be the supreme pontiff for a couple of decades so the proof will be in the papal pudding in terms of his influence.  

An American pretender to the papacy is probably outraged by this outcome.